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
, ,

A Guide to Understanding Digital Network Interactions

, ,
A Guide to Understanding Digital Network Interactions

The transition from physical to digital content is progressing unevenly in the United States, where those with advanced technology capabilities and capital are capturing a disparate share of the economic gains. Companies that are benefiting from these disparate gains in market share are also shaping the market to benefit their industry. The transition to digital content is important to understand as it is rapidly changing companies’ business models. This is particularly true for arts institutions in the post-Covid-19 era.

STEAM Education and the Lego Model

STEAM Education and the Lego Model

In recent years, there has been a shift to an argument for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), for the inclusion of the arts as one of the subjects that need to be focused on. In fact, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes the arts and music as part of a “well-rounded education,” which are eligible for receiving funding from the government. Changes in legislation have led to a push for wider adoption of this framework for education, but some educators feel that they do not have the training necessary to implement these new practices. Companies like LEGO Education are creating models and projects that make integrating arts and creativity with STEM practices easy in the classroom.

,

Sustainable Practices for Arts Organizations in the Era of 5G and IoT

,
Sustainable Practices for Arts Organizations in the Era of 5G and IoT

When it comes to sustainable, environment-friendly business practices, arts organizations have more often been criticized for being on the opposite end. Arts Council England’s annual environmental report released earlier this year shows that museums generate 41% of the total carbon footprint despite making up only 8% of the total National Portfolio Organizations (NPO).

,

Gamification in Arts Education

,
Gamification in Arts Education

Recently, arts organizations have also sought to gamify different aspects of their institutions to engage visitors, increase fundraising, or improve marketing objectives. Although many industries—like the arts—are developing gamification concepts, many are not applying them in the most effective way. For educational programs to effectively gamify the learning experience they must understand gamification and all its parts.

,

What Arts Nonprofits Should Know About Data Privacy and Security

,
What Arts Nonprofits Should Know About Data Privacy and Security

In a survey of 467 nonprofit professionals, EveryAction and Nonprofit Hub found that 90% of nonprofits are collecting data, but that 49% of surveyed nonprofit professionals did not know how it was collected. While data clearly plays a large role in nonprofit arts organizations’ operations, few have concrete policies and procedures that guide its collection and use. In the context of changing policies about data privacy and increased risk of cyberattacks, this is a dangerous place for nonprofit arts organizations to be in. This article will summarize considerations in areas pertinent to these organizations.

Technology Adoption: How Arts Managers Can Prepare for Change

Technology Adoption: How Arts Managers Can Prepare for Change

Arts managers upgrade, adapt, and adopt to make their organization’s processes more efficient, sometimes with an end result to save time and money. If done improperly, technology adoption may cause frustration, turnover, lost time, lost money, or a step backward in company efficiency. To prevent this, arts managers must strategize technology adoption carefully.

A Digital Future for Cultural Heritage

A Digital Future for Cultural Heritage

Digital technology is becoming a standard tool for the collection, preservation, and dissemination efforts of arts and cultural heritage worldwide. From 3D configuration of ancient artifacts to applying artificial intelligence to shed new light on how we perceive the lineage of humanities, cultural heritage is headed toward a digital future. This article will examine the ways in which digitization and artificial intelligence – two of the most widely used or relevant forms of technology in cultural heritage – are applied through global cases of innovative initiatives happening in the field in recent years.

,

Virtual Solutions in the Arts During Covid19

,
Virtual Solutions in the Arts During Covid19

Over the last week, society has faced unprecedented territory with the increasing spread of Covid-19. As communities quarantine themselves and take precautions against greater spread, arts and cultural organizations are joining in the effort by closing their doors. Amidst all of this, arts managers are coming up with creative solutions to offer their content and services to the public Now, more than ever, the arts must rely on technology to deliver their content. Below is a sampling qua starter list of virtual responses to Covid19 to date (March 17, 2020).

,

Case Studies of Livestreaming in Theatre: Part 2

,
Case Studies of Livestreaming in Theatre: Part 2

When considering the medium of livestreaming for organizational programming, one must be aware of its many advantages and challenges. This second portion looks at two case studies. The first case study, The Geffen, set the precedent for non-Broadway theaters working with BroadwayHD. The second case study, The Orlando Shakespeare Theater, illustrates how a large regional theater can impact hundreds of classrooms with one performance, on a budget that is more feasible for regional theater companies.

Livestreaming for Regional Theatre: History and Perspectives: Part 1

Livestreaming for Regional Theatre: History and Perspectives: Part 1

This is a two-part series exploring how the benefits of incorporating livestreaming technology into theatres. Part 1 of the report documents a history of livestreaming theatre (involving a timeline and the lifespan of the industry’s biggest players) and a brief analysis of what it means to perform “Live!” and its programming potential.

Hologram Technology and its Application in Arts and Entertainment: Part 2

Hologram Technology and its Application in Arts and Entertainment: Part 2

CGI and motion-capture technology have disrupted filmmaking in the past two decades, and there are no signs that this trend is in decline. In part one, the history of and technology behind CGI and motion-capture is explained in detail. That framework and information will be applied to this second part of the series, which examines how similar technology is leveraged in the “holograms” that have become more prevalent in live performances and museum spaces in the past few years.

CGI, Motion Capture, and the Commercialization of Celebrity Images: Part 1

CGI, Motion Capture, and the Commercialization of Celebrity Images: Part 1

Over the past twenty years, computer-generated imagery has become nearly ubiquitous in film and television productions. This ubiquity is due to enhanced computing power and higher resolutions coupled with increasingly lower costs. To understand how these technological advancements and their artistic applications in recent years are disrupting the industry, there are three key technologies that must be understood and disambiguated: computer-generated imagery (CGI), motion capture, and holograms. Of these three, CGI is the most foundational technology for the current state of production.

,

Deepfake Technology in the Entertainment industry: Potential Limitations and Protections

,
Deepfake Technology in the Entertainment industry: Potential Limitations and Protections

Deepfake is a merge between 2 terms which are Deep Learning and Fake. It is a technology that includes teaching software to memorize faces, expressions, movements and even voices of a person so that the machine can later project that information onto another person. Despite its common inappropriate use, Deepfake technology can surely benefit the entertainment industry, specifically film production. This comes with further consequences to be considered by various parties.

,

Practical Uses of AR in Arts and Culture

,
Practical Uses of AR in Arts and Culture

Since its first iteration, Augmented Reality (AR) has been disrupting education, health, entertainment, and many other fields. By enhancing the senses and abilities it has delighted but also aided in solving difficult problems. In arts and culture, AR has transformed static museum displays and provided special effects for stage productions. But the use of AR hasn’t gone much beyond support in storytelling, and the adoption of such a versatile technology as a tool in the production processes has been tentatively explored.

,

Google Suite’s Top Features for Maximizing Analytics

,
Google Suite’s Top Features for Maximizing Analytics

Google Analytics is an indispensable tool for any business to better serve its customers, achieve business goals, and build successful marketing campaigns. Used by itself, analytics is a powerful tool that can help an organization optimize its website and customer pathways. However, integrating additional tools within the Google Suite of tools offers more nuanced and informative means of maximizing data integration and your understanding of your institution’s website connections and conversion. This research report gives a how to for 7 critical Google Suite tools to maximize Google Analytics impact.

,

Observing Relationships Between Producers and Fandom through Digital Mapping: Part 3

,
Observing Relationships Between Producers and Fandom through Digital Mapping: Part 3

With the emergence of digital fan engagement, fan codes and traits that were once hidden to content makers are now able to be studied on an individual and collective scale through scraping and network mapping. This paper explores how to access information in order to understand fan behavior and the best ways to cultivate fan/producer relationships. While this study focuses on film and television, this information can be used to map digital conversations and communities surrounding all artistic mediums.

,

Mapping Movement: Network Mapping in the Dance Industry: Part 2

,
Mapping Movement: Network Mapping in the Dance Industry: Part 2

How well do you know the history of your industry? Could you list every branch, every individual, that helped to develop your industry into the complex and beautiful thing it is today? If you asked someone who works in the arts to craft such an image or list, they’d probably be able to give you a significant list of names. Yet, the truth is, a single individual’s list can’t provide the entire picture, just their perception of what the tree looks like.

,

Increasing Data Collection Capabilities with Web Scraping and Data Scraping: Part 1

,
Increasing Data Collection Capabilities with Web Scraping and Data Scraping: Part 1

With the digitization of our world, data has proven to be incredibly useful for arts and entertainment organizations in terms of decision-making and strategy formation. However, organizations can often be at a loss with how to collect data, how to format data visually, or how to use the data to achieve their goals. What follows is a discussion/outline of two methods for gathering external data for internal use in arts and entertainment institutions: web scraping and data scraping.

, ,

What Makes Facial Recognition Controversial?

, ,
What Makes Facial Recognition Controversial?

Facial recognition technology is in a predicament, and has actually been there for quite a while. What did it experience to become the center of the controversy and how does such controversy influence the art industry? Controversial discussion never stops a new technology, and instead, it creates a buffer to help the aggressive technology to slow a bit. With this opportunity, arts managers and other stakeholders may be able to check if they are on the right track dealing with the technology and consider whether they need to reshape it to meet future challenges.