Dmitry Lovket, 01.04.2014
Foreword
Castles, knights, dragons, battles and even newly-invented language – all these features are typically attributed with storyworlds created in the tradition of J. R. R. Tolkien. George R. R.
Martin not only shares the initials with the author of The Lord of the Rings, but with A Song of
Ice and Fire, has created a series of books that received enthusiastic reviews from critics and readers all over the world, nominating him the unofficial title of ―American Tolkien‖ [9].
In 2007 Martin agreed to collaborate with cable network HBO‘s writer-producers David
Banioff and Daniel B. Weiss on the adaptation of his epic novel series to TV under the name
Game of Thrones (GoT) [14]. Its narrative features the medieval fantasy world of Westeros, in which five noble families struggle to seize the all governing Iron Throne, and, with a complete broadcast of three seasons, the result has led TV critics to hail the show as one of the pinnacles of quality television narrative [21]. The show has also obtained an exceptionally broad and international fandom. The series has won numerous awards and nominations. It is the most recent big-budget media franchise to have contributed to the popularity of epic fantasy genre in mainstream TV.
This essay will analyze the transmedia storytelling strategies applied to promote the TV series Game of Thrones. Transmedia storytelling is understood as a story told throughout numerous media platforms, with special content pointing back to the main narrative, working as a potential new audience entry-point. ―In which way transmedia storytelling is involved in Game of Thrones commercial success?‖ is the research question proposed.
To answer this question, I intend to refer to the concepts of paratexts in relation to core text, as it is essential for transmedia storytelling. It is worth mentioning here that paratexts will be discussed in their transmedia context. Later on, I would like to analyze and discuss the most, in my opinion, significant Game of Thrones transmedia paratextual extensions: 1) promotional web-sites 2) DVD and Blu-Ray collectibles 3) role-play games 4) comics. A particular attention will be paid to the fans‘ role in the promotion of the TV series. My research of these transmedia elements and their relations to the commercial success of the TV show will be based: a) on the very transmedia concept; b) how much they affect the viewer‘s experience compared to the main narrative; and finally, c) if the abovementioned paratexts could serve as an inviting entry-point for new audience.

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Game of Thrones, introduction to the storyworld
The GoT narrative universe called ‗Westeros‘ consists of castles, knights and mystical artifacts. The historical elements of medieval England (George Martin provides parallels with the
15th century ‗War of the roses‘ time) are perfectly interwoven with fantasy elements, such as dragons and magic. It‘s worth adding here that the narrative universe depicted in the TV series possesses its own artificially created languages (e.g. Old Valyrian, the Dothraki language). This feature can be compared with J.R. R. Tolkien‘s the Elven language in Lord of the Rings. All these borrowings and adaptations turned out to be appropriate in the context of a new fantasy universe, where only ―the game‖ matters and the brinks between Good and Evil don‘t exist at all.
The POV method of telling the story was used by George Martin in order to introduce the storyworld as it is viewed by not more than 18 main characters who represent the most significant noble families: Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, Targaryen and the ancient brotherhood
‗Night Watch‘. The narrative structure of both the pilot and the subsequent episodes of GoT first season largely follow the model of George Martin‘s novels: many threads of the larger narrative include chapter-like character POV sequences, each chapter is concentrated on one character and follows his or her development. The strategy of using a third-person method in the TV show, rather than choosing a more direct first-person perspective, allows to provide a stronger identification with each chapter‘s protagonist because the viewer can witness not only the actions of main character, but also his or her reactions to the story events. The storytelling is organized in such a way that the viewer directly gets immersed into the narrative. Initially, it might be not easy to understand what happens on the screen, but later on the viewer learns that this fantasy narrative features bitter realism, where one will not find depictions of Good vs. Evil in the tradition of Tolkien‘s Lord of the Rings, but rather a sophisticated tale based on pseudohistorical world that tells of both the good and the dark sides of human nature, and the causes of this eternal conflict for each of the characters.
From the pilot‘s first minute (‗Winter Is Coming‘ 1:1) the viewer is plunged into the grim fictional world of what will later be known as Westeros. A medium shot (MS) introduces three horsemen wearing medieval-looking clothes, waiting for a portcullis to open in front of them. As the camera zooms away from the opening gate, the view turns and shifts back to the entrance of a long tunnel. The three horsemen subsequently ride into the dark. Cut to the outside-view long shot (LS) of an ice wall, into which a second, larger gate is built, and which slowly opens to let the horsemen out. It can be assumed that the wall is built to protect something form something outside it. The overall image is slightly tinted in light-blue tones, conveying a cold and unfriendly atmosphere. The riders enter a sinister wood and split up into two fractions. The
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camera pans and follows the one long rider from a supervisory position; trees passing by between the camera and the horse-rider, the viewer feels that the horseman is completely alone.
Music slowly rises to a dissonant crescendo. The camera zooms in the man who looks frightened, his face slowly sinks out of the image; the shot continues displaying the woods behind. During the rest of this first scene, the switch to shakier images filmed by a hand-held camera, an increase in the cutting rate and the application of a more pressing soundtrack with increasing volume lead to a growing atmospheric density and tension. The first rider encounters what looks like a massacre of almost a dozen people, runs back to his fellow horsemen, reports about the incident and the leader of the group makes them return to the location where massacre took place, only to find that all of the dead bodies are gone. The first rider is again sent away to see where the dead bodies might have disappeared to, and the remaining two horsemen are left with a deadly encounter of a group of zombie-like creatures – later identified as ‗White Walkers‘
– who kill the first one instantly, and hunt the second one down and decapitate him. The last horseman who was sent away to the woods witnesses the death of the one of his fellow riders who is decapitated, and the scene ends with a close up of him staring at one of the creatures slowly walking towards him. With this firs sequence, GoT establishes a world that appears to be interwoven into grim medieval history, but, by including fantasy-components such as huge ice wall and ‗White Walkers‘ makes sure that nobody will confuse this story with, for example,
Crusades or other historical drama content.
After the initial plot-introduction, the pilot continues with another theme that introduces all of the show‘s following episodes: the opening. GoT’s opening introduces the viewer to a stylized computer-generated map of the narrative universe. In the centre of the screen appears a glowing comet-like ball of fire surrounded by several rotating metal rings, into which depictions of a tale
(a dragon fighting a stag, resembling the imagery of ancient tapestries) are forged. From the comet, ―the camera‖ sweeps through space and allows a view on massive continents and seas that clearly differ from the real world geography. The camera zooms in towards one of the continents, out of which, driven by a consisting of a complex set of cogs and sprockets, a city labeled ‗King‘s Landing‘ emerges. After a few seconds of hovering over this elaboratelygrowing clockwork, the camera fly continues and glides over valleys, forests, lakes and settlements, following a marked trail towards a different location, where a similar clockwork appears and forms a solid castle called ‗Winterfell‘, with turrets, walls, stables and even a large tree – all part of the clockwork. The camera flies over the map this way, depicting the most significant geographic objects that will later appear in a TV series. And throughout the whole sequence, an impressively orchestrated show theme composed by Ramin Djawadi (discography
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includes soundtracks for Prison Break, FlashForward, Person of Interest) provides an epic soundscape to the opening.
With this opening sequence, which lasts 1:40 minutes, the show introduces the viewer to the complex narrative universe. The opening foreshadows how everything in the story to follow will be related to and interwoven with everything else. To crown it all, the opening sequence can both be understood as the series creator‘s graphic framework and summary of the show‘s key features: for instance, a highly complex narrative with myriads of contributing elements (i.e. cogs) that lead to grim storytelling with what one might call ‗internal realism‘ (internallyrealistic depiction of characters in a fantasy world).

Paratexts and Transmedia Storytelling
Transmedia storytelling principle generally functions through paratexts which are related to the core text [17]. According to this principle, narration is extended due to use of different media devices or transmedia dimensions: Blogs, DVDs, video-games etc. I find it necessary to pay the reader‘s attention to the relationship between core text and paratexts in the context of
GoT media franchise. Supposedly, this will help determine the hierarchy between GoT TV series and its transmedia dimensions (or paratextual extensions).
Gérard Genette, a famous French literary theorist, claims that paratexts are those liminal devices and conventions, both within and outside the book, that form part of the complex mediation between book, author, publisher, and reader: titles, forewords, epigraphs, and publishers‘ jacket copies are part of a book‘s private and public history. Genette provides his definition of paratexts referring to the formula: paratext = epitext + peritext. Epitext is described as an element of a literary work which is implicitly connected with the main text (the author‘s interviews, diary notes with the reference to the story etc.). Peritexts are described as the texts which are explicitly referred to the main text (foreword, chapter titles, blurbs etc.) [7].
A famous linguist Georg Stanitzek generally agrees with Genette‘s definition. However, he pleads for breaking up the tight connection between paratexts and literary texts implied by
Genette‘s concept and suggests applying it to Film- and TV content as well. According to
Stanitzek, such elements of TV media, as trailers and posters take on the role of paratexts, if to provide the analogy with Genette‘s literary approach [23].
Jonathan Gray, a professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of WisconsinMadison, supports Stanitzek‘s concept and argues that it‘s hardly possible to treat core texts in isolation from their paratexts in the modern media-saturated world. As an example, Gray refers to the films that are perceived at first through trailer, DVD-cover or poster and become a part of one complex intertextual network [8].
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Jason Mittell, a professor of American Studies and Media Culture at Middlebury College. claims that ―nearly every media property today offers some transmedia extensions, such as promotional websites, merchandise, or behind-the-scene materials – these forms can be usefully categorized as paratexts in relation to the core text, whether a feature film, videogame, or television series.‖ Transferring this concept to the subject of this essay, the reader can notice that the abovementioned transmedia extensions might be viewed as supporting paratexts to the core text – the show itself. It means that the show is of the highest priority for its creators. The other transmedia dimensions serve ―to promote and introduce‖ it. Mittell refers to Jonathan Gray who calls this model unbalanced transmedia [17].
However, this approach can be argued. An American media Scholar Henry Jenkins suggests the ―ideal‖ model of interaction between core text and paratexts. ―Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes its own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story.‖ In other words, all media extensions would be equally weighted, rather than one being privileged as ―core text‖ while others serve as supporting ―paratexts‖ [12]. This model is called balanced transmedia.
The reader might ask a question on which of these two models reflect the real state of things concerning the relationship between transmedia dimensions (or paratexts) and core text
(the show itself) in the modern media world. Objectively speaking, unbalanced transmedia model turns out to be more applicable and effective due to purely economic reasons. ―Financial realities demand that the core medium of any franchise be identified as privileged.‖ [17]. This model is used by TV shows‘ creators to provide as high ratings as possible. In the case of GoT, this principle is accomplished by creating of one core text (or two core texts, if to treat the literary original this way). According to unbalanced transmedia model, surrounding paratexts serve to support and deepen the core text (or texts).
It‘s possible to distinguish different types of transmedia paratexts in the GoT context: those that were developed by HBO media network or fandom and third companies‘ contribution to the promotion of the storyworld.

GoT transmedia paratexts
a) DVD-materials
The DVD-Box of the first season contains, as it is usual nowadays, not only 10 episodes of the TV show, but also a great number of additional materials including extra background and behind-the-scenes videos. According to Jason Mittel, such extra features serve to ―hype and
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promote‖ the main text [17]. An extra that is called ‗Creating the Dothraki Language‘ can even be viewed as implicit extension of the GoT narrative universe. David Peterson, a linguist of
Language Creation Society in the USA, is responsible for creating the language. In the extra he tells in detail about his approaches towards the formation of grammar, vocabulary and phonetics.
The main idea was to work out an authentic language that should be viewed as typical for the aggressive tribe of barbarians from the prospective of sounding. David Peterson has said that
―most people probably don‘t really know what Arabic actually sounds like, so to an untrained ear, it might sound like Arabic. To someone who knows Arabic, it doesn‘t. I tend to think of the sound as a mix between Arabic (minus the distinctive pharyngeals) and Spanish, due to the dental consonants.‖ [27]
This extra explicitly shows how delicately the creation of the show‘s separate element was organized and how much attention was paid to each detail of the narrative universe. Such steps were taken to emphasize the perceptive quality and attractiveness of the TV series. J. R. R.
Tolkien had already shown (with his artificially created the Elven language) how to increase both exotics of the narrative and its authenticity in order to enhance the immersion of viewers
(readers) [20]. The spirit of this tradition is picked up by Benioff and Weiss in the commentary passeges of the extra, where they explain why they decided to include a fully-formed fictional language in the world of GoT. The showrunners highlight the fact that, although George R. R.
Martin had included a small selection of Dothraki terms in his novels, they were the driving forces behind creating the language for the show. Martin credits the showrunners‘ creation as a great extension of his fictional world and thus honours their role in the process of authoring the show. And Benioff adds that the authenticity of the narrative has improved by addition of that element, thus enhancing the narrative‘s internal realism.
As a result, the extra was enthusiastically perceived by the fan community; the grammar and vocabulary of the Dothraki language are widely discussed on internet-forums [13].

b) GoT official website
The TV show official website created by HBO can be categorized as another paratextual entry-point for new audience. In particular, it‘s worth paying attention to Game of Thrones
Viewers’ Guide which encourages the audience to experience numerous additional features which extend the narrative and contribute to the content of the TV series. Initially, the viewer sees the map of fictional world called Westeros which contains all the geographical objects that were shown in a particular season of the show. By clicking on such an object (fortress or town) the viewer gets an opportunity to experience the history of a certain place and its role in the narrative universe. In addition, the map that changes from episode to episode enables the viewer
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to follow the history of each noble family involved into the ‗game‘. The map also helps the viewer to link and relate different story-arcs in order to follow the progression in the narrative through changing areas of influence and territories of each of the Houses. Furthermore, the
Viewer’s Guide provides a colorful genealogy of all clans and regents. It helps the visitor to analyze and understand the complex network of social relationships within the narrative.
Through their content and their way of presentation – all of the materials featured in the
Viewer’s Guide are beautifully crafted in the look of ancient scrolls. This paratextual extension clearly enables the viewer‘s involvement and allows for greater pleasure gained from main narrative In general, all the elements mentioned above provide additional information to the main story. Moreover, they encourage the interaction between visitors and the TV series, as well as other representations of the narrative. Additionally, a website visitor might be led to the sales platform (HBO shop) where not only merchandise, but also DVD-box-sets, George Martin‘s literary works, computer games, cards and other transmedia extensions can be purchased.
c) The Maester’s Path advertising campaign
In the early 2011 HBO launched a creative marketing campaign for GoT dubbed the
Maester‘s Path. The first step of this campaign was a box mailed to the most devoted fans, critics and bloggers. The box was filled with vials, scrolls and a map of the Seven Kingdoms. Followers were faced with a series of multimedia puzzles that unlocked advance footage of the TV show.
For further understanding of the issue, it‘s worth mentioning that maester in the narrative is described as a scientist, healer and counselor. Maesters were assigned to each noble lord in
Westeros.
A receiver of the Maester‘s Path kit was encouraged to play a role of a maester and perform a wide range of quests described in the scrolls. In my opinion, this approach can be viewed as another perfect example of transmedia engagement: from smelling different flavors in vials and tactile experiences of touching artifacts to visual enjoyment of reading the ancient scripture and virtual interaction with the accompanying website which provides clues for the tasks described in the scrolls. All these features were supposed to intrigue the viewers and attract their interest to the TV show. As a result, the website http://themaesterspath.com received about
190,000 visitors and 37, 000 registered users over the course of the campaign [2].
The effect of this HBO promotional campaign was not long in coming: the most devoted fans organized numerous discussions in internet-blogs and forums describing their transmedia experiences. HBO, in its turn, used this influence of ―Super-Fans‖ to provoke indirectly the intrigue around the TV series.
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The Maester‘s Path did not add anything new to George R.R. Martin‘s world of Westeros.
All of the information conveyed throughout the experience was familiar material to fans of the book series. What sets the experience apart was the lavish attention to detail taken in transforming words on a page into the experiences that comprised HBO‘s interpretation of the story. Moreover, the Maester‘s Path was quite a successful step to promote the show using the fans‘ engagement. In other words, this campaign was aimed at free advertising both for the book series and the show which was presented as an example of quality television narrative even before its release.

d) Games
Transmedia extensions in the form of games is another example of how the elements of whether literary or media main text can be presented. The narrative universe of GoT is not an exception: supporting paratexts were developed from card- and board games to video- and alternate reality games.
A particular attention should be paid to the games distributed through social networks (e.g.
Facebook). Such games are supposed to be accessible for quite a big number of users. For instance, a strategy-game that is called Ascent can be viewed as a good adaptation of both the novel series A Song of Ice and Fire and the TV series Game of Thrones. According to Martin, the game will feature ―alliance building, treachery, marriages, murders, and most of all -- the constant struggle to be the greatest house in Westeros.‖ [15] The game is expected to include the ability to engage in the dynamic political and social intrigue featured in the books and television show. The game was worked out by Disruptor Beam Inc. – a company specialized in social game development. Initially, players are encouraged to take control of the head of a minor House in Westeros.
As they engage in the story, the choices they make affect the alignment of their character and thus how some characters will respond to them. The player recruits characters referred to in the game as "Sworn Swords", that the player can send to complete Quests and Adventures. Players also swear fealty to one of the Major Houses of Westeros; House Baratheon, House
Greyjoy, House Lannister, House Stark, House Targaryen, House Tully or House Tyrell. It‘s worth adding that the game (produced in 2012) promises to introduce the events of the 3rd season of the TV show that was released in April 2013. Thus the players were able to follow the events that had been already described in the novels but not filmed in the TV show, thereby having an opportunity to experience different plot twists and endings.

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Speaking about the new audience engagement, Game of Thrones Ascent wouldn‘t probably be much fun if it was a solo affair, so it provides several ways to interact with other players. For instance, it‘s possible to take part in a group of events where multiple players cooperate toward a common goal. Everyone‘s ‗Sworn Swords‘ participate in these, with the best rewards going to people who contributed the most. The game also supports alliances made up of large groups of players, and while it remains to be seen how the community will develop, joining one seems like it will up the intrigue factor a good deal.
"Everyone at Disruptor Beam was a huge fan of Game of Thrones long before we began working on the game, so we recognize that other fans expect character-driven conflict and intrigue to take center stage in our new game," said Jon Radoff, CEO of Disruptor Beam.
"Westeros is the perfect setting to deliver on our vision of weaving stories through decisions and social interactions." [16] In general, it is possible to say that this task has been accomplished: the developers provided an opportunity not only to take part in the main narrative of the TV show or the novel series, but also created the game that requires players‘ strategic thinking in order to feel themselves free to act within the narrative universe.

e) Comic adaptation
One more branch that was taken up by the GoT fans is comics. A comic book A Game of
Thrones is the adaptation of the eponymous novel that gained mixed critics‘ reaction. Created and scripted by fantasy author Daniel Abraham and drawn by Tommy Patterson, it is intended to follow the story and the atmosphere of the novel as closely as possible. It‘s worth adding that
George R. R. Martin advised Daniel Abraham on aspects of the adaptation [24].
The initial issue was published by Dynamite Entertainment in September 2011. Volume
One compiles the first six issues (out of what will be a total of 24 at 29 pages a pop) which cover the trials and tribulations of the Stark family of Winterfell, King Robert Baratheon and his manipulative Lannister kin, and the cruel fallen lord of House Targaryen and his enslaved sister who may not be as innocent as she looks. Where the books were split into sections — In the
Seven Kingdoms, On the Wall, In the East — and each chapter devoted to a single character,
Abraham and Patterson jump from different perspectives by color-coding the text blocks (Tyrion gets red, Arya goldenrod, Bran grass green, etc.). Comics are all about show don‘t tell, and they‘ve done a good job of it.
As it already was mentioned, the initial reviews of the adaptation were mixed. IGN rated the first issue as ―passable‖, acknowledging the writing and art as competent, but considered the character design to be ―overly pretty and slightly exaggerated‖ and the series as a whole to lack
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added value with respect to either the original novel or the HBO series [15]. The Weekly Comic
Book Review gave the first issue a ―B-‖, appreciating Patterson‘s art but finding the colors to be inappropriately bright and shiny [1]. Broken Frontier reviewed the ―enjoyable adaption‖ favorably, but asked for ―a tighter focus on characters over plot points, and a more serious take on the art.‖ [28] While they appreciated Patterson‘s settings, they considered that his art dipped in quality when it came to facial expressions, making characters appear distracting and misshapen [3]. Comic bloggers Geek of Doom praised the comic, concluding that it communicated the book‘s depth better than the TV series did [4]. The Courier News’s reviewer, on the other hand, dismissed the adaptation as presenting ―a world filled with fantasy clichés, void of style and indistinguishable from any other mediocre book dubiously depicting the Middle
Ages.‖ [19]
To crown it all, it‘s hardly possible to claim that this graphic novel wouldn‘t be enough to capture the brilliance of Martin‘s vision and, unfortunately, it could never be an adequate substitute for the book. It is simply impossible to duplicate the emotional depth and the witty dialogue of a master writer like George R.R. Martin in graphic novel format. But nevertheless, a comic branch, in my opinion, can be successfully used by the showrunners to promote the TV series. As a visual medium, comics are still flourishing in the US, Western Europe and Japan having their devoted fans in these parts of the world. The comic fans might be encouraged to follow the show development not only by reading graphic novels, but also by watching its TV analogue. Fandom role in transmedia promotion of GoT
Previously we discussed GoT transmedia extensions which were developed or supported by HBO and third companies. However, one more factor of transmedia storytelling should be taken into account. In this chapter I would like to discuss fan community contribution to the promotion of the GoT narrative universe. Numerous fandom-created paratexts are based mostly on the reception of transmedia products mentioned above. Some online-journals, for instance, collect the stories written by fans which might contain from 400 to 150.000 words [18]. Such interpretations might include the descriptions of already known characters from different perspectives. Absolutely new characters, as well as alternative plot- developments might be also integrated to the storyworld.
Such materials produced by the most devoted fans are called ―fan culture‖ by Henry
Jenkins. He states ―the media industry and its consumers alike now operates as if we were moving towards a more participatory culture, but they have not yet agreed upon the terms of our
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participation.‖ [11] I‘m convinced it‘s true that ―we are moving towards a more participatory culture‖, GoT transmedia in general terms demonstrates this affirmation.
Focusing on GoT fandom, there are many examples worldwide in different languages, including websites, blogs, encyclopedia, forums, podcasts and books. I have chosen some fandom production examples to cite here, starting with A Wiki of Ice and Fire awoiaf.westeros.org. This wiki encyclopedia is pointed by many fan websites, forums and blogs as the most complete source on both GoT TV show and novel series A Song of Ice and Fire. It contains 5, 481 articles as I access it today. However the number might change soon being a wiki product. A Wiki of Ice and Fire belongs to the web-resource westeros.org which provides the space and technical support for the encyclopedia. This website has a twitter account, with more than 30 thousand followers. It also possesses a blog and a forum. Returning to the encyclopedia, it‘s worth mentioning that it is a collective wiki resource, it has a page asking for collaboration to finish articles related to GoT. A user might find information in, I dare say, almost everything related to the TV show and book series.
The encyclopedia is conducted in 8 languages: English, French, Chinese, Spanish, Dutch,
Polish, Italian and Russian. As being a native speaker of Russian, I was particularly interested in the corresponding version of the wiki-resource. Unlike the English version, the Russian one includes better navigation opportunities: a user is encouraged to search not only by words, but also by going through the few menu items: characters, history, geography, folks and culture.
One more issue that is worth paying attention to is interaction between fans and TV show creators. Implicitly this cooperation takes places every minute in internet by discussing TV series on a great number of web-platforms. But nevertheless, the attention of big audience is usually attracted by huge media events that provide media franchises with the opportunity to introduce and promote their products. Comic-Con International, a multigenre convention held in San
Diego, California, United states, is not an exception. In recent years, Comic-Con has expanded its scope dramatically to introduce fans to the most recent releases in comics, novels, films, television, videogames, podcasts, digital art and more. The event combines marketing campaigns, industry exhibitions, artist-led tutorials, studio screenings, indie unveilings, and even the academic Comic Arts Conference. Henry Jenkins dubs Comic-Con ―perhaps the most mediasaturated environment one can imagine.‖ Hollywood studios and television networks have a great number of opportunities to express themselves: ―from playing clips of previously unreleased footage or surprise appearances by crowd-pleasing celebrities to displays costumes, props and sets on the floor of Exhibit Hall.‖ [10]
Game of Thrones media franchise takes part in this event since 2011. And starting from the year 2012 the TV series is considered to be one of the most anticipated panels. During the
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presentations and hilarious events fans are encouraged to participate in numerous conferences and autograph sessions, having an opportunity to ask questions to the showrunners, actors and even George R. R. Martin. In 2013the attention of the show followers was attracted by ―In
Memoriam‖ video set that featured most of the major and minor character deaths from the last three seasons [5]. This can be viewed as a good strategy to satisfy the most devoted fans who take the events of the show more seriously than ordinary viewers.
One more GoT event that gave fans in cities such as New York, Amsterdam and San Paulo a chance to get up close and personal with some of the props and costumes from the TV series is
Game of Thrones: Exhibition. Starting from the year 2013 the exhibition features all-new installations and offers a fresh perspective of the show, focusing on key places and characters‘ relationships from the series. The exhibition also offers fans an all-new, immersive interactive experience that will place them within the world of Westeros, and a photo opportunity on the coveted Iron Throne. In addition, the exhibit displays an assortment of official GoT licensed collectable merchandise from the HBO Shop. During the exhibition in 2013 fans had an opportunity to participate in interactive experience that placed them amid the action of the epic battle of Blackwater Bay from the 2nd season [6].
To crown it all, I would like to claim that fandom reception of the events depicted in a certain TV series is an essential component of the show commercial success. Fans are effective opinion-makers, as they share their views on a certainTV series using web platforms which can be treated as entry-points for new audience. The most devoted fans go further and create wellstructured internet resources devoted to a particular show (e.g. A Wiki of Ice and Fire), thus revealing the show‘s quality. I‘m convinced that showrunners understand these mechanisms and by organizing and participating in different media events (e.g. Comic-Con) struggle for fans‘ loyalty and support.

Conclusion
In my opinion, Game of Thrones can be viewed as a primary example of how transmedia storytelling is implemented in order to promote the show‘s commercial success. Moreover, starting from George R. R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire book series, of which the first novel was published almost 20 years ago, to the TV series, its surrounding paratexts and related products, including interactive examples of HBO‘s commercial property, such as the show official website, the DVD and BluRay collectibles, role play games and comics – all these elements extend the usual experience on consuming television content and can serve as entrypoints for new viewers.
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Generally speaking, we might conclude that HBO‘s overall goal with all show marketing has been and is to generate ‗buzz‘. With the particular audience composition of Game of
Thrones, which initially was estimated to consist mainly of the younger generations that ideally had read the literary original, HBO decided to market the show‘s premiere in early 2011 with a transmedia experience package that was sent to different opinion-leaders or ‗super fans‘. The package called Maester’s Path presented followers of the campaing with a series of multimedia puzzles that would unlock bonus footage of the show. HBO realized that by targeting the most devoted fans and opinion-makers, they could hope that those people would act as multipliers by implicitly promoting the storyworld through blogs and chatrooms which in their turn would attract a much larger viewership for the upcoming TV series. The success of this marketing campaign, according to a Wired Magazine article, was reflected in ―37,000 users registered for the site, 12,000 people downloaded the Ice and Fire application, and 190, 000 visitors interacted with one of the campaign‘s digital elements.‖
Among the main elements of HBO marketing campaign was the 1st season‘s DVD/BluRay box set that was published close to the airing of the 2nd season‘s premiere to enable fans to revisit the narrative of the 1st season. According to a Reuters report, this strategy and the dedicated fan base resulted in the HBO‘s highest first week sales results of all time and comprised a substantial stream of income for the series. In this essay I paid attention to a very, in my opinion, important box set‘s extra feature as ‗Creating the Dothraki Language‘. I‘m convinced that this extra clearly shows that HBO aimed at creating a quality TV narrative. This step can be viewed as a showrunners‘ intention to stress the TV show‘s seriousness and depth, pointing out that the TV series is a ―long-playing song‖, not an ephemera. Such a strategy has been already implemented by the creators of Star Trek, whose numerous fans all around the world speak Klingon. The demonstration of the Dothraki language on TV has led to interesting results: 146 american girls were named Khaleesi (―queen‖ in Dothrakian) in 2012. That‘s a 450% jump in the name‘s usage from 2011, and before that year it was completely unknown [26]. This example shows how purely fantasy features might be perceived and interpreted in the real world.
Transmedia extensions in the form of online games might be viewed as good entry-points for new audience. A Facebook social network game Game of Thrones Ascent is one of the most popular strategies based on the plot of both the TV show and the book series. Due to its structure which allows inviting friends and creating alliances, the game numbers 100,000 new players every month.
To depict the popularity of the Game of Thrones media franchise, I would also like to refer to the article written by a journalist Chris Taylor who is working for British-American news website Mashable. In his article ‗Fandom: Bigger than Westeros‘ he compares the imaginary
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population of Westeros with the real number of the TV show followers. However, he states that there is no official population number for Westeros. ―The books, which thoroughly inhabit their medieval world, tell us that no census has been taken, through you can sort of figure it out from the sizes of the cities. ―The population of Westeros extends into many millions:‖ that‘s the best estimate over at the Game of Thrones wiki.‖ First of all, Taylor pays attention to the most significant web platforms: Facebook and Twitter. ―There are 5,493,248 of your nerds, according to Facebook likes and Twitter followings gathered by analytics firm Social Bakers.‖ In a humorous manner the journalist compares how the number of new fans is changing day by day:
―Your (fans‘) numbers are growing faster than fireballs at Blackwater Bay. Growth is at a rate of up to 32,000 new fans a day. That‘s about the size of the army of the North in the show (right nerds?) being added to its fan base every 24 hours. If this fandom was a house in Westeros, its words would match those of the show‘s Lannisters: Hear me Roar.‖ [25]
Speaking about distribution of the show‘s fans worldwide, Taylor mentions that ―only a third of the fans are in the U.S. The second largest nationwide following belongs to Brazil.
Westeros is reputedly the size of Latin America, as every nerd knows, so a following south of the
Equator makes a certain kind of poetic justice.‖ The UK closes the top 3 countries. This can be probably explained by almost 100% English cast taking part in the show.
It‘s no doubt that the large audience is the key way to a show‘s commercial success. In his article Taylor referred to some internet statistics depicting fans‘ amazement by the GoT narrative universe. However, the reader might make a conclusion that fans are just consumers who support their favorite TV show by likes on Facbook or tweets and reposts on Twitter. In my opinion, the
GoT fandom, at least the most devoted fans, can be viewed as creators of new content contributing to the TV show‘s popularity. In this essay I paid attention to A Wiki of Ice and Fire
– a web encyclopedia which provides the readership with all the information concerning GoT narrative universe. This example is quite a serious transmedia extension which can be compared with professionally created HBO‘s paratexts. The encyclopedia makes an impression of highly structuralized unity which represents the storyworld as a real one, as if all the events and characters exist in reality.
In the end, I‘d like to conclude that such a significant success of the GoT media franchise would hardly be possible without both huge corporations‘ marketing campaigns and fans‘ contribution. Transmedia extensions that were developed by those two creative flows are quite different in their essence. They are also applied to different categories of viewers within one narrative universe. What I find important is that almost all transmedia extensions discussed are aimed at extending the brinks of just a purely fantastic storyworld. Since 2011 the show has become tightly interwoven with its fans‘ lives. The Game of Thrones narrative universe, despite
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of its fantasy nature, implies its own internal realistic features that are willingly perceived by the viewership. Transmedia storytelling techniques used by the TV show‘s producers are directed to strengthen the audience feeling of engagement and loyalty. I‘ve tried to highlight the most interesting transmedia paratext which demonstrate both the quality of the show and contribute to its commercial success.

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