THE WAR NEVER CHANGES BUT THE MEDIUM DOES: WORLDBUILDING ASPECT OF THE FALLOUT FRANCHISE IN TERMS OF TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING

Abstract

With the incorporation of new media into daily life traditional media concepts have become inadequate in demonstrating the interaction between audience player or reader and media texts necessitating new concepts to understand this rapid evolution. One of the most significant contributions of new media digital games has highlighted the importance of defining the required interaction for understanding these games as narratives. The concept of transmedia storytelling developed by pioneer Henry Jenkins has become crucial in this regard. Re-examining each new media text through this concept is essential for generating new meanings and comprehending the texts. In this context analyzing the narrative universe of the groundbreaking and culturally renowned role-playing game Fallout through one of the seven key concepts of transmedia storytelling worldbuilding aids in understanding the game's impact and interaction as well as the audience's relationship with Fallout's dystopia. This study is an example of a close reading of a cult game as a narrative and another significant and current example of how the transmedia storytelling influences the relationship between the audience/player and the text itself. © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.