Gameplayarts: Helping Artists and Institutions Break Into Games

Erika Gangsei has run the interpretive media team at SFMOMA for nearly two decades, and for 15 of those years she's been quietly building one of the most coherent game-based programming initiatives inside any major cultural institution in the country. In this conversation, we get into the origins of Play SFMOMA, which launched in 2011, before games as an art form had any real institutional legitim...

Casey Baltes led the effort to build the Tribeca Games Festival from the ground up—and she'll tell you the hardest part wasn't the games. It was building internal credibility. In this episode, we talk about curation, community, and why institutions that try to do everything in games end up doing nothing well. For more insights, signup for my newsletter . Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advis...

Casey Baltes, VP of Games at Tribeca Enterprises, breaks down why most institutional game-based programs stall — and the structural decisions that have made Tribeca Games one of the few that hasn't. We get into executive buy-in, curatorial focus, the case for interpretive content over exhibitions, and why financial sustainability is the conversation no one in the cultural sector wants to have. For...

Most cultural institutions know games matter. Very few know what to do about it. Kristian Volsing is one of the people who figured it out — and built the path in real time. As part of the V&A's contemporary design team, Kristian co-curated Design/Play/Disrupt , one of the most significant museum exhibitions ever dedicated to game design. He navigated studio NDAs, convinced the National Gallery...

Hey there -- if you subscribed to the Twofivesix podcast, we've made some changes to our focus. I'm working with museums, collections, galleries, and cultural orgs on the same big problems I used to help corporate clients with. Hope you enjoy!   What does it actually take to exhibit game-based art in a museum? Beyond the romantic notion of "games as art" lies a complex reality of technical require...

What does it really take to build a sustainable community around experimental games? In this essential conversation, we sit down with Bria Davis , Community Director at Young Horses, to explore the intricate dynamics of gaming communities and what art-forward creators need to know before diving in. Bria brings a unique perspective to community building, having worked her way from Discord moderator...

I'm shining the spotlight on Chris Norris, the exec from Electronic Arts who's dialing up the positive play in gaming communities. Chris is the Senior Director of Player Connection at EA. I had a great conversation, treading the path of evolution of social interactions in video games - from the cozy comfort of couch co-op play to making friends in the far reaches of the globe. We also explored how...

I spoke with Rebecca Mir, Director of Digital Product Management at Ad Council, about the inherent potential of technology, games, and digital media for creating social change; the differences between traditional marketing and PSA development; and how Guild Wars 2 proved to be the perfect place to Seize the Awkward. For more insights, signup for my newsletter . Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, a...

One of the biggest success stories from the world of games has been charity fundraisers. While public perception of "gamers" doesn't include philanthropy, the reality couldn't be further from the truth. More than $42 million has been pledged to charity over the last decade—all from gamers supporting their favorite causes. "I don't think it has anything to do with video games, to be honest," Alyssa...

Juan Vaca, Netflix’s first narrative designer, gives us his thoughts on why interactive content is taking off lately. He also details how his gaming background influences his storytelling, why he thinks of his audience as players instead of viewers, and what exactly goes into making an interactive movie or TV show at Netflix.

Did you know The New York Times makes games? Our first guest is Sam Von Ehren, a game designer at The New York Times. We speak with him about why The New York Times makes games, how his game fits in with the rest of The Times' news coverage, common misconceptions about what a New York Times game looks like, and who he's trying to reach.