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
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In the News: April 2023

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In the News: April 2023

Technologies like artificial intelligence and NFTs continue to break into new industries this April. The United States government licensed ChatGPT, dancers paired with robots, and music industry leaders have been taking a stand on AI-made music. We are in the midst of figuring out where these technologies fit into our lives, and how they will change our industries. Feelings of uneasiness continue. The following stories illustrate a variety of viewpoints on the ways in which technology has been integrated into new and unique settings as of late.

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Massive Software’s Influence on Popular Fantasy Film

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Massive Software’s Influence on Popular Fantasy Film

Massive Software creates hordes of fantasy armies using Artificial Intelligence and in doing so it has changed the fantasy entertainment game. Their realism is largely due to fuzzy logic, a “way to create naturalistic and subtle behavior” that human viewers will interpret as realistic and powerful. This combined with emergent technology offers a wide array of opportunity for creators.

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Jazz Artists and the Business of Music: Digital Collaborations and Live Streaming

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Jazz Artists and the Business of Music: Digital Collaborations and Live Streaming

Throughout history, jazz has been on the cutting edge of social and cultural change. It has always represented a means of freedom and self-expression in both the brightest and darkest of times. Jazz artists have historically pushed the boundaries of their own genre, as well as others. How does the genre continue to transform in the digital age?

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AI in Spotify’s New ‘AI DJ’

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AI in Spotify’s New ‘AI DJ’

While Spotify has been a frontrunner in the AI field for a decade, its increased infusion of AI into its algorithmic content suggestions has put it into the spotlight with its ‘AI DJ.’ Consumers return again and again to Spotify largely for its enhanced personalization that few other streaming platforms can match. While AI is central to that personalization, it hasn’t surfaced without baggage and some consumer retaliation. It is also worth considering how this technology will further perpetuate algorithmic biases that disproportionately affect Black musicians.

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In the News: March 2023

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In the News: March 2023

From rising STEAM programs to the emphasis on AI in popular culture, the interplay of art and technology allows for new visions to be imagined, new heights to be reached, and new stories to be told. This month, we’re highlighting some of the ways in which technology and art interweave to redefine the very definition of creativity.

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How AI Is Used in Video Games: The Sims 4 and Red Dead Redemption 2

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How AI Is Used in Video Games: The Sims 4 and Red Dead Redemption 2

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been fundamental since the 1950s in game design and development, but a subset of AI called generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is now deployed in nearly all video games to create clever, responsive, or adaptive behaviors. This article examines the unique cases of Generative AI in 2 incredibly popular video games: The Sims 4 and Red Dead Redemption.

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Cash Talks: The Impact of Financial Reserves on Theatre Companies

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Cash Talks: The Impact of Financial Reserves on Theatre Companies

According to the Nonprofit Finance Fund, most nonprofits have less than three months of cash reserves on hand. Most nonprofits have experienced a drastic impact on their programs and financing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. But research shows that nonprofits with reserves were less likely to reduce operating hours, lose staff, or experience difficulty paying employees or vendors for their services.

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Digital Inequity's Impact on Arts Participation Pt. I

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Digital Inequity's Impact on Arts Participation Pt. I

how does digital inequity impact the arts sector and how might the arts sector respond to the digital inequities in their communities? This research was compiled under the belief that the arts can have a role in combatting issues of equity and inclusion outside the field of arts and culture. The arts’ role in the broader public sphere can improve the lives of all members of a community. The hope for this research is to begin to understand how that can begin to take shape to address digital inequity.

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Building a new Museum Ritual: Museum Digital Experiences

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Building a new Museum Ritual: Museum Digital Experiences

This article examines 8 suggestions for museums to implement well-rounded digital projects for their audiences that are specific to the online context. These suggestions are drawn on the Rachel Broughton’s article Bridging the Gap Between Digital Native Modes of Learning and the Traditional Museum Ritual—find it here.

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Issues and Trends in the Creator Economy

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Issues and Trends in the Creator Economy

What is a content creator’s journey like? How do content creators grow to become media companies? What services does the creator economy need as they grow bigger? From these questions, our group makes predictions about the future of the creator economy and recommendations for how creators can thrive within the landscape.

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2023 Digital Fundraising Trends in the Performing Arts

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2023 Digital Fundraising Trends in the Performing Arts

Organizations’ marketing strategies and missions themselves may need to be reexamined to determine whether or not they align with the next generation of donors. There are a number of practices that organizations can start to embrace in order to expand their mission to a more diverse population while not running the risk of alienating their current support base.

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In the News: January 2023

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In the News: January 2023

AI. Lawsuits. Copyright. Matthew Butterick. These are all terms we’ve been inundated with in the past month. To avoid being redundant, we won’t be diving into much detail on these stories. Instead, we’ll be presenting some stories you may have missed.

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Multilingual Technology for Global Entertainment: A Case Study of Netflix

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Multilingual Technology for Global Entertainment: A Case Study of Netflix

Central to Netflix’s growth is the company’s keen understanding of its diverse, international markets—Netflix is the leader in multilingual access in the entertainment field. What can we learn from the company’s practice?

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Bridging the Digital Divide: Arts and Digital Placemaking

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Bridging the Digital Divide: Arts and Digital Placemaking

When does access lead to inclusion, and when does it breed more exclusion? With constantly emerging technologies in the fields of placemaking and civic and audience engagement, who gets left behind?

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Museum Audience Engagement with GIS

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Museum Audience Engagement with GIS

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications can connect museums with their communities in ways that make project management and decision-making informed and strategic. There are numerous ways that GIS maps can be used—they can provide a picture of who is visiting the museum and how they are interacting with the space once they are there. Additionally, they can aid visitors with their experience of museum collections.

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Linguistic Diversity in Opera via Technology: A Case Study of Opera Australia

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Linguistic Diversity in Opera via Technology: A Case Study of Opera Australia

Opera Australia attempts to make opera “for all” while maintaining the linguistic diversity of presenting opera in their original languages. To enhance the connection of audiences to the work, Opera Australia uses digitization and other technologies to create a holistic storytelling mechanism. This case demonstrates that (1) language and linguistic identity can advance and strengthen artistic storytelling and (2) audiences want to see linguistically diverse and accessible stories.