Multi-Media Narratives: The Videogame in an Emerging Mega-Literacy Jennifer deWinter The history of popular entertainment has seen an identifiable progression that initially began with a single narrative existing in a single media format and this has evolved to a state today in which multiply themed narratives are reproduced in multiple media for- mats. For example, Homer’s Odyssey began as an epic tale in the oral tradition, which was then transcribed into text and can now be found in multiple media forms—films, comic books, children’s books, and cartoons. Within each of these media, the actual nar- rative changed little except where it had to adapt to the constraints of each format. Also consider Peter Pan, which began as a play, became a children’s book, and was then turned into both animat- ed and live-action formats. While the narrative stayed fairly con- sistent throughout these different transitions, the popularity of Peter Pan allowed the narrative to branch out in different ways. For instance, a cartoon version entitled Fox’s Peter Pan and the Pirates expanded on the traditional Peter Pan narrative, adding new stories to the same time frame. There are also spin-offs that use the same world, but change the characters, such as Hook and Peter Pan: Return to Neverland. The new media format continues to use the same worlds, characters, and scenarios that were introduced in the original narrative and medium; however, because of the episodic nature of these narratives, each medium’s narrative is independent of those being told in other media. This media transference process makes good sense from both a business and a social perspective—the entertainment industry can take advantage of evolving media, transferring a narrative from one medium to another, based on the assumption that the narrative’s fan base will make the jump, following the narrative to other media forms, thus ensuring instant customers for new media commodi- ties. In their book Remediation: Understanding New Media, Bolter and Grusin explore the ways in which media evolve for differing purposes and ends: WORKS AND DAYS 43/44, Vol. 22, Nos. 1&2, 2004