Crossmedia Gameplay

Games that make use of several different media to provide one game instance.

While most games make use of only one medium or platform to make access to them depend only on needing to have access to that medium or platform, a few games make a point of being played through several. This Crossmedia Gameplay can be used to give specialized gameplay experiences at different points of game instances through varying the mediums used or be used to more easily intertwine gameplay with other activities, sometimes to the point where players can be confused what is part of a game and what is not.

Examples

Epidemic Menace is a game that describes itself as having Crossmedia Gameplay. In it, teams of players need to make use of a combination of mobile AR systems, traditional laptops, and the AIBO robot dog to solve a mystery. Alternate reality games such as Conspiracy for Good, I Love Bees, The Beast, and The Truth About Marika also typically make use of several different media, often web sites and phone systems.

To a lesser extent, games such as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the Splinter Cell series (on the GameCube), and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures provide Crossmedia Gameplay since these can make use of several different types screens. Similarly, Padracer and Scrabble™ Tile Rack can be seen as having some aspects of Crossmedia Gameplay since they use iPhones as subunits for games hosted on iPads.

Using the pattern

Designing Crossmedia Gameplay primarily concerns exploring which mediums are available and which type of gameplay they are best suited for supporting. Patterns related to this include Auxiliary Game Screens, which makes use of several screens to provide different information to players, and Connected Games, which makes the gameplay outcome of one game affect another one.

Consequences

Crossmedia Gameplay can provide players with more types of specialized gameplay experience than ordinary games simply because they make use of several different medium. This can also be used to "hide" the mediums used among other, non-game, mediums and thereby support Alternate Reality Gameplay. A specific case of this concerns Rabbit Hole Invitations, Crossmedia Gameplay can here be used more easily and efficiently than during the main gameplay since non-interactive mediums such as commercials and TV shows can be used (examples of this can be found in I Love Bees and The Beast).

Can Instantiate

Real World Gameplay Spaces

Relations

Can Instantiate

Alternate Reality Gameplay, Rabbit Hole Invitations, Real World Gameplay Spaces

Can Modulate

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Can Be Instantiated By

Auxiliary Game Screens, Connected Games

Can Be Modulated By

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Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

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History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

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Acknowledgements

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