Transmedial Universes: Charting the Heuristics of Media Constellations.

Abstract

In the current convergent popular media culture transmedial universes proliferate as profitable strategy. This thesis introduces transmedial universes as imaginary overarching settings linking together multiple narratives spread over different media. These entities require an active audience to be inferred from oblique references. Academic and industrial attention to these entities is solely directed to what I call ‘the essentialist take’ on universes. This sees universes as solely corporate constructs that are carefully thought out as a strategy to ensure that the active audience consumes multiple products. It is falsely presented as being the essence of transmedial universes.The predominantly economic focus ignores new forms of audience agency and other ways to link media together. What is lacking is an understanding of the formal characteristics of these universes, their possible interrelations and the heuristics required to study different forms. In this thesis I offer three heuristic models of transmedial universes that can structure holistic analyses of these complex media entities as a solution. This solution comes in the shape of the intellectual property, the curatorial and the concept universe.

By using play, as defined by Miguel Sicart, as epistemological tool different configurations of universe characteristics are scrutinised. The cases of ASSASSIN’S CREED, Batman, and Slenderman help to distinguish aforementioned heuristic models of the intellectual property, curatorial, and concept universe respectively. The evocation of universes and the interaction of the player with them shows the different structures possible and the most stand-out elements related to them, based on the freedom of play. The main difference between universes is found within the focus on either a subcreated, normative world or a multi-author negotiated multiverse. Additionally, what is considered possible within the universe can be a process of negotiation or an explicated certainty. As a phenomenon that will keep expanding like the products it entails, the analytical flight plan created here is a basic academic need.