Transmedia Storytelling, Immersive Storyworlds, and Virtual Reality

Frameless

Volume 2 Issue 1 Volume 2, Issue 1 Article 5

2020

Trent Hergenrader Rochester Institute of Technology, [email protected]

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Recommended Citation Hergenrader, Trent (2020) "Transmedia Storytelling, Immersive Storyworlds, and Virtual Reality," Frameless: Vol. 2 : Iss. 1 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholarworks.rit.edu/frameless/vol2/iss1/5

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by RIT Scholar Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Frameless by an authorized editor of RIT Scholar Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Transmedia Storytelling, Immersive Storyworlds, and Virtual Reality

Trent Hergenrader* College of Liberal Arts Rochester Institute of Technology

Abstract: This paper considers the role of virtual reality (VR) experiences in major media franchises’ storyworlds, including Star Wars, the Marvel Universe, the DC Extended Universe, Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter. The paper opens with a brief description of transmedia storyworlds and the concept of narrative extensions, which are new stories that are added to existing narratives across a range of media. To distinguish different types of experiences, I use four categories to describe fifteen VR experiences across these five major: sneak peeks, short demos, action games, and narrative extensions. For each experience, I consider the types of user interactions offered, the overall length and replay value of these experiences, cost at launch, and the overall success or failure of these experiences based on critics’ and fans’ comments and reviews. While the strategy of incorporating VR experiences into existing media franchise storyworlds is still very much in its infancy, there are identifiable trends in what kinds of experiences fans most appreciate, and what experiences generally fall flat or underwhelm fans. I conclude with some encouraging prospects for the future for sophisticated VR storytelling.

Keywords: transmedia, storyworlds, virtual reality, Star Wars, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones

*Corresponding Author, Trent Hergenrader ([email protected] )

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TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING, makes transmedia expansion an economic IMMERSIVE STORYWORLDS, AND imperative, yet the most gifted transme- NARRATIVE EXTENSIONS dia artists also surf these marketplace pres- sures to create a more expansive and immer- This paper considers the role of virtual reality sive story than would have been possible (VR) experiences in transmedia storyworlds otherwise” (2007). He uses the example of across five different major media fran- comic books that are created to publicize the chises—Star Wars, the Marvel Universe, the release of a forthcoming motion picture and DC Extended Universe, Game of Thrones, also provide additional backstory and other and Harry Potter—as delivered in fifteen information to further enhance the audi- different VR applications. For each expe- ence’s enjoyment of the story. Unlike adap- rience, I consider the types of interactions tations that tell the same story but in a differ- offered, the overall length and replay value ent form of media—for example, the novel- of these experiences, cost at launch, required ization of a film, or a film’s story depicted in equipment, and the overall success or failure a comic—Jenkins sees transmedia storytell- of these experiences based on critics’ and ing as prioritizing “extensions,” where each fans’ comments and reviews. While the new form of media is additive, contributing strategy of incorporating VR experiences something new to what the audience knows into existing media franchise storyworlds is about the plot, characters, or the world of the still very much in its infancy, there are iden- story (2007). In today’s commercial mar- tifiable trends in what kinds of experiences ketplace, each extension is an opportunity fans most appreciate, and what experiences to offer more new material to a dedicated generally fall flat or underwhelm fans. There global fan base and serves as another poten- are encouraging prospects for the future for tial revenue stream for creators. sophisticated VR storytelling. Because story expansion can happen rapidly Media theorist Henry Jenkins describes and across many media, creators often shift transmedia storytelling as a process in which the focus away from specific plots and char- “integral elements of a fiction get dispersed acters to their “complex fiction worlds,” systematically across multiple delivery chan- where Jenkins argues audiences “are drawn nels for the purpose of creating a unified to master what can be known about a world and coordinated entertainment experience” which always expands beyond our grasp” (2007), as when one part of an ongoing story (2007). This phenomenon has both an eco- is shown in a film, another part in a novel, nomic function, as the desire to know more and a third part in a comic book. Jenkins about the world leads consumers to make states that the growth in transmedia story- multiple purchases across many media, as telling “reflects the economics of media con- well as a narrative function in that it allows solidation or what industry observers call for many different artists in many different ‘synergy’” where “a media conglomerate has forms of media to create their own origi- an incentive to spread its brand or expand its nal extensions, making transmedia story- franchises across as many different media worlds “transauthorial” as they transcend platforms as possible” and that “the current sole authorship (Wolf 2012). Jenkins’s configuration of the entertainment industry student Sam Ford expanded on transmedia

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storytelling with his work on immersive sto- independent, self-contained narrative unit ryworlds by studying soap operas and pro- and also as part of a complex web of inter- fessional wrestling, both known for their connected stories. In the ideal scenario for serial storytelling where individual plot a narrative extension, the dedicated comple- lines can run for years (2007). Unique fea- tionist fan feels rewarded when they catch tures of storyworlds include their long-term subtle references to stories depicted other continuity, or the idea that each story must media, while more casual fans still enjoy the contain some sense of the stories that came story without even knowing that there were before it and also connect to stories yet to references they missed. Recently, creators in come (2007). Serialized stories in immer- these major media storyworlds have begun sive worlds also have the benefit of refer- to explore the possibilities for narrative encing each character’s extensive personal extensions in a new medium: virtual reality. backstory and a deep history of events in the world (2007). Thus much of the pleasure MAJOR MEDIA FRANCHISES AND of consuming transmedia storytelling in VR EXPERIENCES immersive worlds is derived from audience Many fans seek ways to be active partici- members gaining new knowledge about the pants in their favorite fictional worlds. The world while simultaneously being rewarded world’s most popular tabletop roleplaying for the knowledge about that world that they game, Dungeons & Dragons, has its origins already possess. in the desire of gamers to create charac- Today’s fans of major franchises can expect ters and playable scenarios that resembled stories to be told across many media and to the types of adventures they read about in access these narratives on different devices. the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Edgar Rice To use just one example, the Star Wars vid- Burroughs, and Fritz Leiber, among others eogames Star Wars: Battlefront and Star (Peterson 2012). Instead of being passive Wars: Battlefront II connect to separate Star receptors of narratives, players of tabletop Wars novels, and those novels in turn refer roleplaying games become virtually embod- to moments and characters depicted in the ied in the game world, even if only in the franchise’s films and television programs. theater of the mind. Many fans today engage One can read the novel Battlefront: Twi- in a practice known as cosplay, or costumed light Company without having seen any Star play, and attend conventions and other pop Wars films or having played the videogame. culture gatherings dressed as their favorite However, readers more familiar with the Star fictional characters. An even greater group Wars storyworld will recognize moments in of fans experience their favorite fictional the novel that are drawn from the film The worlds through videogames and other types Empire Strikes Back; they will notice ref- of tabletop games. Thus it should come as no erences to weapons and tactics common in surprise that immersive VR experiences set the videogame; and the most dedicated fans in transmedia storyworlds are an attractive will catch allusions to characters who only prospect for fans and creators alike. appear in A New Dawn, another Star Wars The Star Wars franchise, acquired by the novel. Each extension—videogame, novel, Walt Disney Company in 2012, has been film, TV show—operates both as its own

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the most aggressive when it comes to devel- Beasts and Where to Find Them (Jan 2018) oping VR experiences, having published and Beyond the Wall (May 2019) respectively. eight titles. They have also been the most ambitious in terms of experimenting with I have organized the fifteen games into four new approaches. They were the first trans- loose categories based on their common fea- media storyworld to launch a VR experi- tures. The categories are: sneak previews; ence in December 2015 with Jakku Spy, a short demos; action games; and narrative free nine-part story that served as a teaser extensions. In the analysis of each expe- for the upcoming film The Force Awakens, rience, I considered their date of release; with a new story unlocking each day in the how the experience connects to the story- run up to the film’s premier. This was fol- world’s content; the required equipment; the lowed by Trials on Tatooine (July 2016), price of the experience price at release; the Rogue One: Recon (Nov 2016), Battle- average duration of the experience; and the front Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission (Dec experience’s replay value. To further distin- 2016), and Droid Repair Bay (Dec 2017). guish the differences between the catego- Along with these efforts, they have created ries, I developed terminology to describe the the AR/VR experience Star Wars: Jedi user’s role in each type of experience. When Challenges (2017) and, more ambitiously, a discussing sneak peeks, I refer to users as four-person VR experience called Secrets viewers; for short demos, I refer to players; of the Empire (2017) that is only available for action games, I refer to gamers; and for at the Disney theme parks in Orlando and narrative extensions, I refer to player-char- Anaheim. Their most recent entry is the acters. These titles attempt to reflect the first installment of a three-part serial enti- nature of the user experience. tled Vader Immortal, with the first episode As this paper shall argue, the highest levels of launching in May 2019 with the second fan satisfaction tend to be with short demos installment arriving in September 2019. and narrative extensions, while the least suc- In comparison to the Star Wars franchise, cessful tend to be sneak previews and action the other four franchises considered in this games. The novelty of VR experiences wears paper only total seven VR experiences off quickly and today’s VR users expect a among them. The Marvel Universe, another nontrivial level of engagement with the sto- Disney property, has three entries: the movie ryworld, especially if they are required to pay promotional tie-ins Spider-Man: Homecom- for the experience. Significant interactions ing (Jun 2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home with well-established characters and strong (Jul 2019) released on either side of the game visual grounding in the unique fictional world MARVEL Powers United VR (July 2018). increases fan satisfaction and their willing- The DC Extended Universe entered the VR ness to pay for the experience. landscape early with Batman: Arkham VR SNEAK PEEKS in October 2016 but since has followed up with only one other game, Justice League Sneak peeks are short experiences, usually VR (Dec 2017). The Harry Potter and Game under 10 minutes in duration, which are devel- of Thrones franchises each have a single oped as part of a promotional campaign for a attempt at VR experiences with Fantastic major motion picture. These are also referred

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to as 360-degree experiences. They feature interact with things with just a flourish of limited to no meaningful interaction with the your wand. Yep, like a real wizard” (“Pot- world, situating the user as a mostly passive termore” 2016.), only to disappoint fans with viewer with the only action available being minimal interactions and failing to uphold turning one’s head. Of the three sneak peek the statement that the experience would VR experiences drawn from transmedia sto- make the viewer feel like a wizard. ryworlds, two come from Disney’s Star Wars with Jakku Spy (2015) and Rogue One: Recon Learning from this misstep, the Star Wars (2016), tie-ins for The Force Awakens and news release for Rogue One: Recon (2016) Rogue One respectively. The third is from the spelled out exactly what fans could expect: Harry Potter universe, Fantastic Beasts and “you control the lead pilot’s POV. Look right Where to Find Them VR (2016). and see your squadmate. Look left and see the stars. Look up and see a massive Star Jakku Spy and Fantastic Beasts received Destroyer overhead, so dangerously close lukewarm to negative feedback from critics you’ll slink in your seat. It’s a thrilling way to and fans, with frequent complaints being experience visual storytelling, and is a sign that the experiences were too short and fea- that storytelling is changing thanks to minds tured too little interaction; complaints aimed like those at ILMxLAB” (“ILMxLAB” at Fantastic Beasts tended to be sharper as 2016). As a result, fan reactions to Recon it was a paid app where Jakku Spy was free were more positive as they understood that (“Review: Fantastic Beasts” n.d.; Broida this was intended to be a brief experience 2015). Based on the reviews and comments, that was meant to give viewers a taste of fan disappointment may have stemmed being immersed in the Star Wars galaxy. from the hyperbolic marketing copy that In doing so, the news release successfully oversold what the experience actually deliv- managed fans’ expectations. Recon also ered. Jakku Spy promised an experience that improves upon Jakku Spy by making better “thrusts you into the role of a Resistance use of the VR environment. The overwhelm- secret agent on Jakku (the desert world from ing size of a Star Destroyer passing over- Star Wars: The Force Awakens), envelopes head and the enormous Death Star that fills you in stunning virtual reality, and unfolds most of the viewing area are both iconic Star in a series of story-driven installments. It all Wars elements and are immediately recog- leads into Star Wars: The Force Awakens, nizable to even a casual fan; dipping into and there’s never been Star Wars storytell- that storyworld knowledge, the scale helps ing quite like it” (“Experience Star Wars” to reinforce a theme that runs through the 2015), but in truth the experience featured franchise, namely that the tiny Rebel Alli- snippets of scenery from the film that offered ance is hopelessly outmatched compared to minimal interaction beyond turning one’s the might of the Empire’s military terrors. head. Likewise, Fantastic Beasts claimed “you’ll find Newt’s shed is littered with all UploadVR, a site covering VR news, remarked sorts of trinkets and magical apparatus you on Recon’s replay value noting that on “the first can mess around with. Thanks to the 360 viewing [viewers] will have focused on the action, degree view, it genuinely feels like you’re but second and third viewings let you appreciate inside his world, and you can even magically a lot of details including the many instruments

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within the X-Wing’s cockpit,” and then goes on to All of the details in Trials on Tatooine work describe the experience as “a snack sized feature to reinforce that it is a thoroughly Star Wars with high production values, a signal that devel- experience. It opens with the familiar yel- opers are putting their best foot forward with VR low-lettered Star Wars crawl before provid- (“Recon” 2016). Here, the writer understood the ing a sweeping view of Tatooine, the famil- purpose of the experience based on the terms iar desert planet from the films. The player described in the news release. While still being stands beneath the Millennium Falcon and a very limited experience for viewers, this sneak is guided by R2-D2 and the voice of Han peek movie tie-in proved more successful than Solo through making a few simple repairs Jakku Spy from just one year prior, demonstrat- to the spaceship, requiring the pushing of ing Disney’s ability to improve on their VR expe- buttons and pulling of levers. The repair riences each year. routine is interrupted by the sudden appear- ance of an Imperial Shuttle, its distinctive Sneak peek/360-degree experiences for shape recognizable to any Star Wars fan. transmedia storyworlds have fallen away in After it lands, white-armored stormtroop- recent years. Of the fifteen VR experiences ers spill out and take cover behind boulders examined in this paper, the sneak peeks and begin to open fire with their blasters. account for four of the five earliest attempts R2-D2 equips the player with a lightsaber, to use VR in transmedia storyworlds, but who is instructed to ignite it and deflect the the most recent sneak peek comes from lasers blasts back at the enemy. After a few 2016. This is likely because the limited role minutes of deflecting blaster fire, the stor- of viewer in a transmedia storyworld results mtroopers flee and the conflict ends. Solo in greater disappointment than feeling of offers a hasty thanks and then lifts off, engagement. The direction for promotional giving the player a good view of the Millen- tie-ins seems to have evolved into a more nium Falcon in flight. The entire experience interactive VR experience, the short demo. lasts less than ten minutes but resonated with fans, having racked up 1200 reviews SHORT DEMOS and earning a Very Positive aggregate rating Short demos are similar to sneak peeks in on Steam (“Review: Trials on Tatooine on that they offer compressed experiences Steam” n.d.). Disney once again offered lasting less than ten minutes, but they differ Trials as a free experience, which again in that short demos feature more significant moderates fan expectations. While the game user interaction with mechanics, items, and mechanics are imperfect—it’s simple to hit settings from their specific transmedia story- the blaster shots with the lightsaber but dif- world. The short demos Trials on Tatooine), ficult to accurately redirect them—and the Battlefront: Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission story is nonsensical in terms of where it fits (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), in the storyworld, player reviews show the Droid Repair Bay (2017), and Spider-Man: sheer thrill of wielding a lightsaber trumps Far From Home (2018) each offer players a the rest of Trial’s limitations. more satisfying virtual “hands-on” experi- Droid Repair Bay (2017) has a similar design ence in their respective fictional worlds. to Trials but shifts to a new era in the storyworld as here the player assists BB-8, the

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droid star of The Force Awakens, to repair showdown with a supervillain is teased but a few of its robotic friends. There are fewer it never materializes, ending the experience immediately recognizable Star Wars ele- on an underwhelming note. Fans voiced ments in this experience and it feels a bit disappointment on Steam reviews and the more like a generic space adventure with experience only garnered 355 reviews with some Star Wars characters added in rather a compiled Mixed rating, with many fans than being an unmistakably Star Wars expe- bemoaning the lack of a more developed rience. The repair routine also feels generic experience. Interestingly, several positive and less specific to Star Wars and is under- review rebut those criticisms with variations whelming compared to wielding a lightsaber of the sentiment “what did you expect for a in Trials. Only 283 players reviewed Droid free game?” (“Review: Spider-Man: Home- Repair Bay on Steam but the experience still coming” n.d.). This suggests that by 2017, earned it a Very Positive rating, with review- both the VR market and the audience had ers commenting on its clarity of intent and matured enough for users to have developed amusing content (“Review: Droid Repair expectations that free VR experiences would Bay on Steam” n.d.). While the popularity be short, free, and limited. Even so, Home- of the Star Wars franchise and high produc- coming proved not to be a widely-played, tion values led users to rate the experience widely-enjoyed experience. positively, it seems evident that the action of the demo— fixing droids versus wielding a Far From Home (2019) then may have lightsaber—captured neither the popular- exceeded fan expectations by providing ity nor fan enthusiasm of Trials. While not a longer and more robust short demo that a step backwards, it is the single example of provides fifteen to twenty minutes of game- Disney not making a marked improvement in play with more sophisticated mechanics as VR content from experience to experience. players reprise their role as the web-slinging hero. The expanded mechanics allow The two Spider-Man short demos are similar players to swing from building to building in many respects, with the latter title build- and climb walls with freedom of movement ing on the strengths of the former. The first not available in Homecoming, mechanics experience shares its title with the film it that allow the player to feel as though they served to promote, Spider-Man: Homecom- are embodying the one and only Spider-Man. ing (2017). This short demo offers players After the player masters the basic mechan- some basic Spider-man-specific mechanics. ics, they must again deploy their newly- In Homecoming, users don the mask and learned arsenal of skills to defeat a (some- famous red and blue suit of Spider-Man and what silly) giant robot terrorizing the city. engage in a web-shooting tutorial on the top Far From Home has more than twice the of the hero’s apartment building. The player reviews than Homecoming on Steam with is rooted to a single spot and the mechanics 746 and an improved Very Positive rating are limited to targeting a balloons with web (“Review: Spider-Man: Far From Home blasts. With the tutorial completed, calam- Virtual Reality on Steam” n.d.). Review ity breaks out and the player must use what comments suggest that more sophisticated they have learned about the web-slinging mechanics help to fully immerse the player mechanic to repair a falling crane. Oddly, a in the role of the superhero, even if the

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experience is short. It seems probable that breaks beneath the player and the game ends satisfaction would plummet however if this with the player slowly sinking, staring up at were a paid experience, due to the experi- the hole in the ice as the screen fades to black. ence’s overall limitations and low replay value as it is entertaining to experience a There are only scant mentions of Game of few times at most. Thrones in this experience, and nothing in the bland, snow swept environment con- This low satisfaction for a paid experience nects this experience to that storyworld. is indeed the case with the Game of Thrones The mechanics are stale and it plays like VR experience Beyond the Wall (2019), a many other generic zombie fantasy games. demo that fails in the all the areas that made The player does nothing other than moving Trials and Far From Home successful. This forward and swinging the sword with neither short demo features lasts only five minutes action requiring skill nor proper timing. This of and is only available through Viveport, would be a forgettable free experience, but a fee-based VR subscription service. In it’s made worse by the fact it requires a paid Beyond the Wall, the player assumes the fee to play. It earned an aggregate 2.5 stars part of a nameless ranger venturing out from out 5 rating on the Viveport site, with the Castle Black into the frozen wastelands minority of positive reviews coming from north of the ice wall that separates civili- many players admitting Beyond the Wall was zation from the supernatural wild. Players among their first VR experiences, while the follow an unnamed ranger as their guide critical reviews come from more seasoned into the wilderness, the doors of the gate VR players who understand that the experi- bursting open with a wintry gale before the ence offers nothing new and only a tenuous player steps outside. After a few seconds of connection to the Game of Thrones story- taking in the towering snow-covered peaks world (“Review: Game of Thrones: Beyond in all directions, the player is engulfed in the Wall” n.d.). Released three years after a whiteout blizzard and loses sight of their Trials on Tatooine, Beyond the Wall feels companion. The player hears sounds of a like a naïve attempt to create a VR experi- struggle in the storm and is then attacked by ence in that it features a dull environment, an undead bear that must be fought against repetitive mechanics, and no interaction with a flaming sword. Once the bear has with popular Game of Thrones characters. fallen, the player pushes forward to find that their companion has been fatally mauled The positive and negative reviews for short and, a few dozen yards away in the blizzard, demos center on two main issues: engag- shadowy forms are shambling closer. The ing mechanics and a meaningful interaction fallen ranger is then reanimated, rising from with the transmedia storyworld. To be suc- his pool of blood and begins attacking the cessful, the short demo must engage with player, as he is now part of the undead army. the storyworld environment in a nontrivial The player can dispatch him easily with a way. Designer Don Carson has written about few waves of the sword, but the player soon themes parks and environmental storytelling becomes surrounded by zombies. With hacks as a way to conceptualize building virtual and slashes, the player attempts to fend off the worlds, and he advises designers to saturate endless hoard. In less than a minute, the ice the environment with the genre that they’re

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working in, where each elements of the expe- short demo is unmistakably Star Wars in the rience reinforces all of the others. (2000). interior ship design, the references to familiar To use a theme park example, everything in Star Wars storyworld elements, and the action the surroundings of Disney’s Pirates of the sequences that look like scenes from the films. Caribbean ride reinforces the pirate genre: It’s one of the few transmedia VR experi- cutlasses, buried treasure, skulls and cross- ences that created genuine excitement among bones, etc. This consistency is established critics, with review titles like Game Central’s in the setting while park goers wait in line, “Impressive, Most Impressive” (2016), Trusted continues through the duration of the ride, Review’s “Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: and concludes in the gift store at the end. X-Wing is the Best VR Game I’ve Ever This creates a unified, consistent immer- Played” (Yuen 2016), and IGN’s “Star Wars sive experience and enhances visitor enjoy- Battlefront’s VR Mission Might Be My Favor- ment of the ride. Successful VR short demos ite PSVR Experience” (Altano 2016). likewise provide that consistent storyworld experience and extend Carson’s principle to X-wing VR Mission does a number of things the play mechanics as well. Unlike the sneak right. It is, in one critic’s words, “short but peeks that required minimal viewer interac- sweet” (Devore 2016), providing a compact tion, the short demo requires the player to but thrilling VR experience steeped in Star perform actions that are unique to that fic- Wars lore and, as every review notes men- tional world, e.g. wielding a lightsaber in Star tions, it is a free download for anyone who Wars and web-slinging and fighting supervil- owns the full Star Wars: Battlefront II vid- lains in Spider-Man. In contrast, the Game of eogame. As a PSVR exclusive add-on, it Thrones short demo makes little use of either gets a 4.5 of 5 stars on the Sony Playstation the storyworld or unique mechanics and, as store with over 13,000 player ratings, by far a result, winds up being much less success- the most often reviewed and consistently ful generic experience comparable to any highest rated experience in this study. number of mundane sword-swinging fantasy ACTION GAMES games found on the Steam or Oculus stores. If more mechanics-based action connected Battlefront Rogue One: X-wing VR Mission to the transmedia storyworld resulted in sat- (2016) reinforces the importance of meaning- isfied fans, it seems logical to expect that ful mechanics and immersive environments, action games would be where VR expe- as it is a widely acclaimed VR experience that riences would be enjoying a great deal of manages to hit all the right notes. This expe- success. Surprisingly, this is not the case, as rience straddles the categories of short demo the experiences categorized as action games and action game due to the sophistication of have earned lukewarm reviews and faint its mechanics and length of play. This single praise. What distinguishes the action game VR mission clocks in at nearly twenty minutes from the short demo comes down to two of play time and puts players in the cockpit of factors: longer duration and greater price. an X-Wing fighter on a mission that involves Whereas the short demos analyzed were ten asteroid fields, dogfights, and multiple jumps to twenty-minute long self-contained experi- through lightspeed. While there are a number ences made available for free, action games of space combat simulators on the market, this

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represent open-ended experiences that come enemies to defeat and gamers can earn points with a significant price tag. I used the term to upgrade their heroes’ skills as they prog- players to describe the user in short demos ress through the game. However, the games VR experiences because the interactions get repetitive quickly and the excitement of tended to be freeform and more about the assuming superpowers doesn’t overcome general experience than scoring points or the relative tedium of the challenges. These advancing levels; I use the term gamer to action games in fact draw attention to how describe the users of action games because VR game mechanics often feel stilted and they feature level advancement, score track- imprecise, a fact made more apparent with a ing, and other markers of competition, situ- lack of diversity in the challenges. The 800- ating the act of play into a structured game. plus reviews on the Oculus store for MARVEL Powers United VR (a $40 Oculus exclusive) Justice League VR (2017) from the DC earn it a healthy four-star review, but the Extended Universe and MARVEL Powers majority of reviews do mention the lack of United VR (2017) from the Marvel Universe variety (“Review: MARVEL Powers” n.d.). were released within seven months of each What redeems this title in most reviews is other and are fairly similar experiences. As the variety of heroes on offer, so even if indi- one might expect, the gamer assumes the role vidual mechanics grow dull quickly, there of one of the many from the DC and Marvel are still eighteen different heroes to choose pantheon of superheroes (five for DC, eigh- from. Justice League VR fares much worse, teen for Marvel) and the action game employs disappointing gamers on both Steam with 25 those characters’ unique superpowers to fight Mostly Negative reviews (“Review: Justice enemies. As with the short demos, these action League VR: Steam” n.d.) and a 3.2 rating on games center on hero-powered mechanics Oculus, with over a third of gamers giving a that would be familiar to devoted fans of the one or two-star review noting its repetitive franchise, e.g. the Flash’s challenges deal with nature and lack of options for a $10 game his ability to run at super speed and Wolver- (“Review: Justice League VR: Oculus” n.d.). ine fights using his adamantine claws, and so on. In this respect the action game is similar While this paper concentrates on VR, it is to the short demo in that the mechanics align worth noting that both the Star Wars and with what fans know about characters in each Marvel franchises offer experiences that are storyworld, but the experiences diverge in technically augmented reality (AR) action terms of duration. Short demos succeed due games but are very similar to their VR to the brevity of the experience offered. In the cousins. Star Wars: Jedi Challenges (2017) Star Wars and Spider-Man short demos, the and Marvel: Dimension of Heroes (2019) use player is limited to a handful of mechanics in a combination of the Lenovo Mirage headset, an experience that lasts ten or fifteen minutes, the player’s smartphone, hand-held con- which is about the length of time it takes for trollers, and a free app to deliver a VR-like the novelty of the mechanic to wear off. immersive experience. The headset encloses the gamer’s entire field of vision and darkens However Justice League VR and MARVEL the gamer’s actual surroundings, making it Powers United VR are open-ended in dura- feel more like a VR-lite experience than AR tion as gameplay offers multiple levels of games like Pokemon GO or The Wizarding

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World of Harry Potter, both of which use real- previously discussed Star Wars VR experi- world surroundings as part of the experience. ences, each drew on the setting of a single Star Wars film: Trials of Tatooine with the Jedi Challenges is impressive in terms of original Star Wars, the Rogue One titles mechanics, graphics, and gameplay even if with that film, and Jakku Spy and Droid its original price tag of $200 is high for what Repair Bay with The Force Awakens. In it delivers. The gamer assumes the role of contrast, Jedi Challenges adopts characters a generic Jedi and has the option of several and visuals from all of the film eras and game modes to choose from. The lightsaber from two cartoon series, Star Wars: The duel is to be expected, but Jedi Challenges Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. Dueling also features 3D tower defense games and opponents include Darth Maul from the holochess, the memorable 3D chess game prequel trilogy, Seventh Sister and the played on the Millennium Falcon in the origi- Grand Inquisitor from Rebels, Darth Vader nal Star Wars. Compared to VR experiences, from the original trilogy, and Kylo Ren the Lenovo headset is far lighter and allows from The Force Awakens trilogy. There are more mobility because the gamer isn’t teth- a wide variety of enemy droids and differ- ered to the computer by cables, restricting ent types of stormtroopers from all parts of their movement. While the graphics lack the the storyworld’s timeline. Jedi Challenges crispness of VR experiences, I found that I represents a shift toward a more broadly played longer and enjoyed exploring the dif- knowledgeable, and likely younger, audi- ferent game modes more than in other more ence demographic as it assumes the gamer visually impressive VR experiences. Using will be familiar with canon Star Wars the lightsaber to redirect blaster shots back media outside of the films, even though that at the droids and stormtroopers felt much knowledge does not matter for the game more fluid and natural than in the near-iden- beyond offering familiarity and immersion. tical challenge in Trials of Tatooine and the lightsaber battles against foes presented Action games draw from franchise material a genuine challenge that kept me playing but do not serve as narrative extensions into longer than I anticipated. As for disadvan- the larger storyworld. There is no sugges- tages, like the other action games, the game tion, for example, that the story of the Jedi modes do grow repetitive over time and the training in Jedi Challenges will connect to mobile phone noticeably heats up after only the plot of The Rise of Skywalker film. These fifteen minutes of play. Marvel: Dimension stand-alone action game experiences do of Heroes was not available at the time of allow gamers to become active participants writing, but it appears to be very similar to in their favorite storyworlds with mechanics Jedi Challenges with similar game modes unique to the heroes and situations of that and different mechanics based on the heroes specific storyworld, but ultimately there are the gamer chooses. no consistent stories in them and are meant to be entertaining in and of themselves. This Perhaps what’s most surprising about lack of meaningful connection to the sto- Jedi Challenges is the effort it makes to ryworld’s larger narrative distinguishes the connect to a wide range of material from action game from the last category consid- the Star Wars transmedia storyworld. In the ered in this paper, the narrative extension.

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NARRATIVE EXTENSIONS hook. The story involves investigating the mysterious disappearance of two of Bat- The narrative extension represents the most man’s closest allies, Nightwing and Robin. ambitious effort on part of VR developers. Perhaps unexpectedly, rather than combat, These experiences immerse participants the game mechanics deal more with foren- in stories that affect the transmedia sto- sic analysis and puzzle solving as the story ryworld. They do employ game mechan- centers on Batman investigating crime ics and draw on elements that are unique to scenes and interrogating thugs. that storyworld like action games, but they also tell a story that serves as an extension The game is dark and has a brooding, sin- of canon information. Rather than one-off ister tone. The graphics are excellent and disposable experiences, they are intended to the details of Gotham City’s seedy under- reveal new dimensions about characters and world are immaculate, creating a con- the wider storyworld. Developers not only sistent immersive world, harkening back expect but rely on fans’ preexisting knowl- to Carson’s advice about environmental edge of canon narratives in order to make design. These high production values along these experiences successful. These experi- with strong writing and voice acting make ences are the longest in duration, the most encounters with villains such as the Penguin detailed, and most sophisticated in terms of memorable, and the sheer size and speed of storytelling strategies. I refer to the user as the hulking Killer Croc is truly intimidating a player-character, or PC, albeit one who for the PC. On the downside, the story turns has no real agency in affecting the outcome out to be a hallucinatory fever dream due to of the narrative. The term here is meant to Batman being poisoned by the Joker, which describe experiencing the story through the is always a disappointing narrative frame role of a specific character. even if it does allow the developers to take greater risks with the storyline knowing it Batman: Arkham VR (2016) was the first will not impact the storyworld continuity. major storyworld franchise to release a VR title on Oculus, Vive, and later Playstation The response to Arkham VR has been gen- (PSVR). The story of Arkham VR takes erally positive, with most user complaints place between two other videogames by centering on two factors: the lack of phys- the same developer, Batman: Arkham City ical action and the price. The game pro- (2011) and Batman: Arkham Knight (2015). vides an hour or two experience depend- As one might assume, the PC assumes the ing on how thoroughly the user explores role of Bruce Wayne and his superhero each environment, and reviewers are split alter ego, Batman. The story begins in the on whether the $20 price tag is justifiable. opulent Wayne Mansion, where circum- Many fans also lamented the lack of action. stances quickly require the PC to descend Batman’s is equal parts detective, acrobat, to the Batcave and don the familiar cowl and martial artist, but in Arkham VR the and bat-gear. The Batcave is full of gadgets character is restricted to pushing buttons and serves as an introduction to some of the and pulling levers. Another complaint was basic mechanics of throwing batarangs (bat- the disappointment in not being able to drive shaped boomerangs) and using a grappling the Batmobile. The game leads the PC to the

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vehicle’s door, but the PC must settle for a VR with the physical world, meaning player- revving engine sound as the screen goes to characters can touch the walls and sit in the black before arriving at the next destination. chairs they see in headset. The experience Still, Arkham VR has 668 reviews on Steam received strong reviews from critics and fans with a Mostly Positive Rating, earns a 3.8 (“Secrets Of The Empire” 2018) and is thor- out of 5 rating in Oculus reviews, and 4 out oughly steeped in the Star Wars storyworld, of 5 stars on the PSVR. using well-known characters and environments to full advantage, and features a plot Disney has taken the boldest steps forward that feels like a natural Star Wars adventure. in terms of VR narrative extensions that Secrets of the Empire is an innovative exper- extend the Star Wars storyworld in signif- iment, the success of which will likely lead icant ways. First is Secrets of the Empire to other VR entertainment experiences at (2017), an experience only available at the Disney and other theme parks, though it is theme parks in Orlando and Anaheim. It expensive: $30 per person for a 30-minute is a unique team-based storytelling experi- experience, though no park pass is required. ence, where groups of four player-charac- It seems plausible that these kinds of expe- ters enter the VR storyworld together on a riences will someday be located inside the mission to steal plans for a powerful weapon theme park with no additional charge. from an Imperial base on the lava-drenched planet of Mustafar, the setting of the final Lastly comes Vader Immortal, an experi- act of The Revenge of the Sith. The group, ence that represents a major milestone in disguised as stormtroopers and aided by the VR entertainment and points to one possible droid K-2SO from Rogue One, must solve future of digital storytelling in transmedia puzzles, fight monsters, and battle enemy storyworlds. Simply put, Vader Immortal gets troopers to return the plans to rebel opera- just about everything right for an extended tive Cassian Andor, another character from VR narrative extension. It is a three-part Rogue One and one who will soon to have story, with each episode selling for $10 as his own television series as a transmedia nar- an Oculus exclusive. The series promises to rative extension on Disney+, the company’s show another side of one of greatest villains upcoming streaming channel. Lucasfilm in film history, Darth Vader. Without giving Story Group has stated that the story told in away too much of the plot, PCs assume the Secrets of the Empire is canon (Matsunaga role of a Force-sensitive smuggler captured 2018), meaning that the events in the experi- by Darth Vader and pressed into his service ence are considered factual and true for all on Mustafar. The PC’s secret mission is to other parts of the storyworld. The story of find the key resurrection, so Vader may Secrets thus has ramifications for other nar- bring his wife Padme back to life after he rative extensions including Vader Immortal failed to prevent her death in the final prequel and possibly in the upcoming videogame movie, Revenge of the Sith. Vader Immor- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, though the tal picks up this thread of desire and spins specifics of the connections remain to be it into a new narrative direction that, in the seen. While the game mechanics of Secrets first installment, is only partially revealed. are nothing new, the group VR experience Highly knowledgeable fans will recognize brings a new element as does the blending of this theme tying directly to the comic book

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series Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, 92% of the ratings being 4 or 5 stars. That’s which explains how and why Vader chose to an astonishing number of highly positive build his headquarters on Mustafar. This is a reviews for a game that has only been out prime example of a transmedia storyworld’s for 4 months at the time of writing. synergistic properties: knowing information from the Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith CONCLUSIONS comic extends to the experience of Secrets VR experiences do not yet offer a significant of the Empire and Vader Immortal, yet each number of transmedia storyworld extensions title stands alone as its own contained enter- compared to other media such an televi- tainment experience. This is quite a feat of sion, film, comics, games, and print fiction. sophisticated 21st-century transmedia story- The DC Extended Universe, Harry Potter, telling, and it’s possible that there will ties to and Game of Thrones franchises have only other forthcoming television shows, comics, dabbled in this medium with mostly disap- and novels as well. pointing results. The Marvel Universe’s most Vader Immortal is successful despite not successful attempts to develop VR content bringing any real new mechanics to the VR consists of two short demos to promote experience. Rather, it improves upon what upcoming Spider-Man films, though the came before by embedding these famil- AR title Dimensions of Heroes may point iar, though slightly refined, mechanics in to more ambitious efforts in the future. The a logical place in a longer coherent narra- Star Wars franchise leads the pack in terms tive. The opening sequence is reminiscent of both quantity and quality of VR experi- of Rogue One: Recon, where you expe- ences, learning from early disappointments rience a sense of claustrophobia in your and improving upon mechanics with each ship’s tiny cockpit as massive Star Destroy- new release. Star Wars is also the only fran- ers loom all around; aspects of piloting the chise attempting to create genuine narrative ship and freeing yourself from a detention extensions into the transmedia storyworld cell harken back to the simple mechanics using VR experiences, using the innovative of Droid Repair Bay; and there are several team experience Secrets of the Empire at opportunities to wield a lightsaber, both their theme parks and through their impres- to deflect blaster shots with greater accu- sive narrative extension Vader Immoral, racy as seen previously in Trials of Tatoo- both of which tie into canon content in other ine; and the melee blocks and attacks are forms of media. similar to those in Jedi Challenges. While The price of VR equipment has steadily the PC’s quipping droid companion can decreased over time, and there are new head- be grating, the story works as a whole and sets being released that operate as self-con- each episode can be played in its entirety tained units. This not only frees consumers in a single hour-long session. The success from needing an expensive computer to try of the game with fans is undeniable. On the VR experiences, but these new standalone Oculus Quest store, Vader Immortal has units also allow greater freedom of move- 2456 reviews with 86% of the ratings being ment as they do not need to be tethered to a 4 or 5 stars, and on the Oculus Rift store it computer by cables. These changes coincide fares even better with 3,393 reviews with

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with developers’ growing understanding of Carson, Don. 2000. “Environmental what makes for successful VR games and Storytelling: Creating Immersive 3D experiences. As the VR audience matures, Worlds Using Lessons Learned from they have grown to expect more than a 360- the Theme Park Industry.” March 1, degree experience with little chance to inter- 2000. http://www.gamasutra.com/ act with the storyworld. In general, fans are view/feature/131594/environmental_ less than happy having to pay for repetitive storytelling_.php. games even if the mechanics allow them to adopt the skills of their favorite characters Devore. n.d. “Star Wars Battlefront’s Rogue and heroes. The success of the VR narrative One VR Mission Is Short but Sweet.” extension Vader Immortal demonstrates that Destructoid. Accessed September 25, even a variety of familiar mechanics can feel 2019. https://www.Destructoid.com/star- fresh and exciting when contained within the wars-battlefront-s-rogue-one-vr-mission- framework of a meaningful story, especially is-short-but-sweet-403396.phtml. when that story has a genuine impact on the rest of the transmedia storyworld. It seems “Experience Star Wars Like Never Before likely that well-crafted serial narratives will in Jakku Spy.” 2015. StarWars.Com. drive an increasing number of fans into pur- 2015. https://www.starwars.com/news/ chasing this new wave of less expensive experience-star-wars-like-never-before- standalone headsets in order to enjoy exclu- in-jakku-spy. sive storyworld VR content. It seems equally likely that Disney and other franchises will Ford, Sam. 2007. “Immersive Story Worlds continue to expand their VR offerings in their (Part Two).” Henry Jenkins. May 1, 2007. theme parks, again using narrative extensions http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2007/05/ to draw fans to their attractions. immersive_story_worlds_part_tw.html. REFERENCES Game Central. 2016. “Games Review: Star Wars X-Wing VR Mission Is out Now and It’s Amazing (and Free).” Metro Altano, Brian. 2016. “Star Wars Battlefront’s (blog). December 6, 2016. https://metro. VR Mission Might Be My Favorite co.uk/2016/12/06/star-wars-battlefront- PSVR Experience - IGN.” December rogue-one-x-wing-vr-mission-review- 7, 2016. https://www.ign.com/ impressive-most-impressive-6304535/. articles/2016/12/07/star-wars-battlefronts- vr-mission-might-be-my-favorite-psvr- ILMXLAB. 2016. “ILMxLAB’s Mark Miller experience. on Rogue One: Recon and Putting Fans in X-Wings.” StarWars.Com. November Broida, Rick. 2015. “How to Watch the 15, 2016. https://www.starwars.com/ New Star Wars VR Content.” CNET. news/ilmxlabs-mark-miller-on-rogue- December 2, 2015. https://www.cnet.com/ one-recon-and-putting-fans-in-x-wings. how-to/how-to-watch-the-new-star-wars- vr-content/.

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