Transmedia storytelling is a narrative technique in which a single story, or story experience, is told across multiple platforms and formats — from books, films and television, to comics, video games, social media and more.
The goal is that each medium contributes uniquely to the story, offering a distinct and complementary perspective that enriches the overall narrative. This way, researchers can build a more extensive and engaging world that audiences can explore from various angles, often encouraging active participation and interaction. Within LoGaCulture, researchers are studying, designing and evaluating novel transmedia narratives and games that engage a wide variety of audiences in single and social visiting of cultural heritage sites.
By dispersing elements of the story across various platforms, creators invite audiences to piece together the narrative themselves, fostering a more active form of consumption, leading to a deeper connection with the story and its characters, as audiences become more invested in uncovering the full picture.
Locative games — from which “LoGaCulture” gets its “LoGa” — are an exciting example of transmedia that integrates the physical world into the digital narrative experience. These games use location-based technologies, such as GPS, to merge real-world locations with the story being told, often through mobile apps or augmented reality. Locative games can thus transform everyday environments into interactive storytelling spaces, encouraging players to physically move and explore their surroundings, thereby blurring the lines between the real and the fictional.
By allowing players to become active participants who influence the narrative’s progression based on their movements and decisions in the real world, rather than just passive consumers of a story, this form of engagement might help create memorable experiences that traditional media forms might not be able to achieve alone.