Month: August 2006

I really like this example of a real world product (I’ve been advocating tangible products in transmedia properties for a long time which many forget — but we all seem to forget radio for some reason?!) that Ivan Askwith discovered at ComiCon:

– An interesting product from Mattel called HyperScan which combines collectible card games and video games in a hybrid very similar to projects we’ve discussed in our own department. Core video game play is enhanced through the acquisition of trading cards with RFID tags embedded in them, which “unlock” additional character abilities and powers. This presents a new variation on the transmedia we’re used to, and hints at an interesting economic model with the same core principles as the “gotta collect em all” ideology which drives “pokemonetization” — the difference here being that the acquisition of additional items results in a more tangible difference to the gameplay experience.

Oh, and this note:

– One last Alias ARG? Free promotional posters and the “authentic Rimbaldi box” from Alias were on hand to promote what Buena Vista Home Entertainment representatives described as “the complete Alias boxed set”, which will be released in a package designed to look like the artifact from the show. However, given the cryptic nature of the poster — a picture of the box, a URL , and a phrase “Missing for Centuries: A Challenge Awaits You. A Journey Begins.” — I suspected it might be involved in a larger promotional campaign with ARG-esque elements. No one at the booth knew anything about this, and registering at the website appears to give access to an “exclusive wallpaper download.” If they’re smart, it would be nice to see one last ARG tied into this; if not, well, I still wrote about it, so I suppose they got what they wanted.

Thanks Tom for the heads up on this one:

Special Issue on ‘Convergence Culture’
Guest editors:
Mark Deuze, Indiana University
Henry Jenkins, MIT (author of Convergence Culture)

This call invites submissions for a special issue on ‘Convergence Culture’: the worldwide emergence of increasingly collaborative practices between media producers and consumers. Examples are television fan sites, game modifications (‘mods’) and machinema, citizen journalism, interactive advertising and word-of-mouth marketing, transmedia storytelling (for example using games, movies, television, websites and comics), and so on. Convergence culture is both a top-down corporate-driven process and a bottom-up consumer-driven process. Media companies are learning how to accelerate the flow of media content across delivery channels to expand revenue opportunities, broaden markets and reinforce viewer commitments. Consumers are learning how to use these different media technologies to bring the flow of media more fully under their control and to interact with other users. We welcome submissions from a variety of disciplinary, theoretical and methodological backgrounds exploring the changing role and organization of work and productivity in the cultural and creative industries under the influence of convergence culture, as well as on creative processes initiated by or involving the people formerly known as the audience.

Specific topics and issues to be covered in this special issue for example are:

• Case studies of media companies adopting convergence culture;
• Case studies of specific fan communities and their relationships with media producers;
• Explorations of transmedia storytelling, viral marketing, and Alternate Reality;
• Gaming as forms that tap the emerging relations between media producers and consumers;
• Mapping of ethical, political, economical and cultural changes and challenges in an emerging convergence culture;
• Quantitative and/or qualitative empirical work on the production, content, and/or consumption of media messages in the context of convergence culture;
• Research focusing on convergence culture in the context of specific media industries (such as: computer and video games, advertising, journalism, television);
• International comparative work on convergence culture in media production.

Submissions addressing the special issue theme are invited to the following sections: Debates which are short polemics (usually 1000-3000 words); Articles which are refereed case study research articles (7000-11,000 words); Feature Reports which offer a critical overview of current research by reviewing a conference, exhibition or festival (4000-8000 words). Any inquiries concerning the Reviews section (which covers books, exhibitions, conferences, CD-ROMs, websites etc) should be directed to the regular reviews editor Jason Wilson.

Proposals for papers should be directed to the guest editors.

The deadline for submission of research articles is 1 February 2007. The special issue will be published (by SAGE) in February 2008.

Call at Convergence Journal

 

ARGs have had characters calling ‘players’ (people?) for some years now. In the last couple of years we’ve seen this technique being used by film and TV producers. Rather than provide unique narrative content, however, they have a more economic function: motivating you to watch the TV show or film. Well, September last year I reported on a scary call you could receive for the film Ring 2. In April this year I gave a talk in which I mentioned how the character Veronica Mars called fans on their mobile phones 45 minutes before the broadcast. This resulted in an increase in viewers and website traffic (source). In that same talk I spoke about the various ‘citizen marketing’ by excited fans of Snakes on a Plane (which as since then also made it to SecondLife!). Well, news from Steve Peters is that you can register to have Samuel call or email you. With this one you select some personality traits of the person you want to send the message to. Very funny. I like this technique, pretty fun.