Other types of Media Convergence

Media convergence is not something that is new. It is something that has been happening for a while but not to the extent that it happens now. Back in the early days of film technology, many films were made that were based on books. Films about Sherlock Holmes and Alice In Wonderland are early examples.

Games are also being spread out across multiple media systems. Pokemon went from being a popular card game to a video game. They also put it on television and made children's books using the characters from the game.

Resident Evil began as a survival horror game and has now become a major video game and film franchise. There are now six Resident Evil video games available to play which have branched out to include action games. The Resident Evil film series starring Milla Jovovich has also done well. There have been five films made so far and another has been confirmed. There is also the possibility of a seventh film. One of the producers of the films has said there have been talks about rebooting the franchise.

Music is also something that has spread out across multiple media systems. Musical Artists have not only had musical recordings for sale but they have also been able to make music videos and concert DVDs.  Games like the popular video game franchise Guitar Hero has let musical artists work spread into the video game arena.

Convergence culture is something that has been happening for a while, but it is becoming more common with the increase in new types of technology. Media companies recognize the money that can be made from taking a popular brand and turning it into a new product using another type of media.

Convergence does not only involves the media. Henry Jenkins, author of the book Convergence Culture, explains in this book that media convergence happens when individuals take media into their own hands. The internet has done a lot to make media convergence more common. Jenkins also points out that people lives also flow across multiple media channels (Jenkins 17).  There is a demand from the consumer for more content across multiple media platforms. Media convergence and convergence culture is something that becomes more normal everyday.