Warcrafting myth A transmedial study of mythemes in World of Warcraft

Abstract

The video game World of Warcraft has been active, as of 2024, for 20 years. During that time, it has expanded into novels, comics, animated shorts, and YouTube-videos. The aim of this paper is to study the use of mythic elements across three mediums: the video game, three novels and five YouTube-videos. The focus is on the inspiration behind the mythic and how it has been changed and evolved through the development of the fictional universe and the transmedia storytelling within it. To achieve this, the methods of virtual participant observation and self-tailored Adaptational Mythocritique were used and analysed through the theory of transmedia storytelling. The results point to a frequent borrowing from existing myths and mythic attributes from the real-world, transformed for the over-arching narrative to continue the secondary world of the Warcraft universe. Through the use of mythemes and their transformation through several mediums, a familiarity to real-world mythical elements is created, strengthening the immersion already added through the properties of the mediums and the transmedial connection established between them. By utilizing transmedia storytelling, the secondary world engages its users, creates consistency and coherence, and pushes the audience to interpret the mythic elements within based on their experiences.