entertainment, Research, Strategy, Gamification
Staff Researcher
How Games as a Service (GaaS) and Transmedia ...

In Part II, this part of the study moves from industry context to empirical analysis, translating strategic questions into evidence-based insights drawn from primary research. While Part I established the historical and market foundations of Games as a Service (GaaS) and transmedia adaptation and framed the challenges of player retention, monetization, and franchise longevity, Part II examines how these dynamics operate in practice. Using findings from a 1,159-response U.S. consumer survey, nine industry interviews with developers, influencers, and experiential professionals, as well as supporting secondary research, this section analyzes player behavior perceptions and expectations. Part II identifies the mechanisms that drive sustained engagement and trust in live service ecosystems, evaluates the effectiveness of current GaaS and transmedia strategies, and surfaces actionable insights that inform the strategic recommendations presented in the final chapter.

How Games as a Service (GaaS) and Transmedia Strategies Sustain Video Game Franchises, Part II
entertainment, Research, Strategy, Gamification
Staff Researcher
How Games as a Service (GaaS) and Transmedia ...

This study provides a foundational analysis of how live-service game models and transmedia strategies are reshaping the contemporary video game industry, with a particular focus on Games as a Service (GaaS), player engagement, and franchise longevity. As gaming continues to outpace film and television as the world’s most lucrative entertainment sector, publishers face growing pressure to sustain player communities, balance monetization with satisfaction, and extend intellectual property beyond the game itself. Part 1 examines the historical evolution of GaaS and game adaptations, situating SEGA’s legacy within today’s competitive landscape. Drawing on existing literature, industry reports, and market context, this section frames the central research questions and methodological approach that guide the study. By establishing the strategic challenges and opportunities facing live-service games and transmedia franchises, Part 1 lays the conceptual groundwork for the data-driven analysis and recommendations presented in Part 2.

How Games as a Service (GaaS) and Transmedia Strategies Sustain Video Game Franchises, Part I
Audience Engagement, Community Building, Policies
Hales Wilson
Murals: A Right to Protest and Preserve

This article explores the evolution of murals from ancient cave paintings to modern digital advocacy, highlighting their role as a vital tool for social resistance and cultural preservation. Through this lens, the public wall is revealed as a primary battleground for community identity and the right to protest in the 21st century.

Murals: A Right to Protest and Preserve
Laws & Legal, Artificial Intelligence, Public Policy, Extended Reality
Staff Researcher
Building Digital Guardrails: Toward a ...

As immersive technologies merge with AI-driven platforms, the boundaries between physical and digital life are rapidly dissolving - bringing new ethical, legal, and safety challenges into focus. This article examines the history of virtual harm in online and XR environments, from early text-based worlds to contemporary VR gaming and performance spaces, and argues for a privacy-first framework as the foundation for immersive safety. By analyzing legal gaps, platform accountability, and global policy efforts, it proposes digital “guardrails” that prioritize user dignity, data protection, and well-being as core design principles rather than afterthoughts.

Building Digital Guardrails: Toward a Privacy-First Framework for Immersive Safety
Blockchain, Digital Futures, Emerging Technology
Staff Researcher
Blockchains or Pawprints? Furries as a ...

This article explores the intersection of digital art, NFTs, and community governance through the lens of the furry fandom, a decentralized community of artists and enthusiasts. With the rise of NFTs, the ability to authenticate digital art and protect creators' work has become a critical concern. The study examines the resistance within the furry community to adopt NFTs, highlighting their reliance on community-based trust and governance over "trustless" blockchain systems. While some see potential in NFTs to safeguard intellectual property, many furries are skeptical, valuing social trust and ethics over commercialization. By studying the furry subculture's approach to art ownership and the challenges they face, the article poses larger questions about the future of NFTs and blockchain technology in creative spaces.

Blockchains or Pawprints? Furries as a case-study for understanding digital art provenance through NFTs and community governance

White Paper Wednesday: Tech and Collaboration

White Paper Wednesday: Tech and Collaboration

What happens in the arts when there are barriers to collaborating across a physical shared space? How can arts organizations benefit from emerging technological trends and harness the capabilities of online collaborative technologies for the unique purpose and needs of collaborative artistic projects

White Paper Wednesday: Wearables and the Performing Arts

In 2014, Google Glass had emerged as the leader in wearable technology available on the market. Today, while Google Glass has receded to the fringe of conversations about Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, wearables have re-entered the mainstream consciousness, and wide-spread adoption feels inevitable.

These trends considered, today's featured white paper from 2014, Performing Arts in the Wearable Age by Thomas Rhodes and Samuel Allen, is a fascinating look back at predictions and projections from just two years ago. 

While many things have changed since 2014, this paper's focus on current uses of wearable technology, future implications, opportunities and concerns for performing arts organizations are as useful as ever. The authors' discussion of the hardware specs of wearable devices is particularly nuanced. Equally relevant are the various uses and exciting windows for wearable implementation in music, theatre, and beyond.

While many of the projections cited in this publication might not hold water today, today's current events indicate that widespread adoption of AR/VR is near. From Pokemon Go to continuing developments in Oculus, it is clear that arts organizations will soon have no choice but to confront this exciting and game-changing trend.

 

Banner image by Dan Leveille via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons

Organizational Implications of E-Commerce

Organizational Implications of E-Commerce

As the market needs for convenience grow stronger, E-Commerce seems like a sound organizational investment for non-profits, especially for arts organizations that have the ability to develop branded and unique products. However, E-Commerce effects more than staffing and resources in a non-profit organization. 

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The Role of Technology in Museums

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The Role of Technology in Museums

With tools like beacons, iPads, touch screens, and haptic interfaces, technology provides museumgoers with detailed information, customized viewing experiences, and precise location mapping services. However, the use of digital technology in museums is often seen as a double-edged sword, which begs the question: does technology really belong in museums?