Gameplayarts: Helping Cultural Institutions Break Into Games Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/gameplayarts-helping-cultural-institutions-break-into-games From writing for the Wall Street Journal to advising MoMA’s permanent collection to launching one of the first game-based arts spaces in the world, Jamin Warren talks through contemporary issues in bringing games to the arts-world public © 2026 Kill Screen Media Inc. c9b53f05-1897-5b92-9fd0-f6de7dd65584 yes en Tue, 19 May 2026 10:48:31 -0700 Tue, 19 May 2026 10:49:22 -0700 https://www.gameplayarts.org https://img.transistorcdn.com/jPAm2OhdhXHvLu-UFllvkrkUpspYWM-Vz4yUU5LCPVA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mZTNl/ZDg2NzExYTdhMDVm/ZDg5ZjNlNDY3NTVj/ZDk4Mi5wbmc.jpg Gameplayarts: Helping Cultural Institutions Break Into Games https://www.gameplayarts.org episodic Jamin Warren From writing for the Wall Street Journal to advising MoMA’s permanent collection to launching one of the first game-based arts spaces in the world, Jamin Warren talks through contemporary issues in bringing games to the arts-world public From writing for the Wall Street Journal to advising MoMA’s permanent collection to launching one of the first game-based arts spaces in the world, Jamin Warren talks through contemporary issues in bringing games to the arts-world public. gaming literacy, translator, cultural institutions, deep research made fun, meeting audiences where they are, strategic partnership, capacity building, institutional readiness, discovery phase, stakeholder alignment, R&D phase, menu of options, truly relevant engagement, gaming as art form, experimental programming, digital strategy gap, building internal expertise, peer institution examples, risk tolerance, innovation culture, cross-functional collaboration, millennial engagement, program development, platform partnerships, community building, pilot projects, audience research, success metrics, iterative learning, long-term partnership, subject matter expertise, organizational change management, Museum of Modern Art, British Museum, Smithsonian, Getty Research Institute, provenance research, accessible scholarship, gaming behaviors, measurement framework, proof of concept, strategic frameworks, resource flexibility, decision-making governance, content communications, cultural sector knowledge, Create Connect Convene, exhibitions commissions, digital presence, events programming Gameplayarts No No How SFMOMA Built a 15-Year Game-Based Arts Program From the Inside Out 10 10 How SFMOMA Built a 15-Year Game-Based Arts Program From the Inside Out full a02ce4b6-cc0b-49e3-9d9b-6da6b34cb32a https://share.transistor.fm/s/b54439e2 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 legitimacy, and what it actually took to sustain a program built on deliberate experimentation rather than proven outcomes. Erika talks about the decision to treat game designers the way SFMOMA treats sound artists and filmmakers: as essential creative collaborators, not afterthoughts. She makes a sharp distinction between gamification (which museums were chasing then, and still are) and authentic game-based programming — and explains why that difference matters for visitors.


We also talk about the institutional immune system. Erika uses the phrase literally: museums have white blood cells that attack unfamiliar things, and Play SFMOMA has spent 15 years slowly inoculating SFMOMA to interactivity. That means running an AR game jam knowing none of the prototypes would go into production, because the goal was to socialize the idea internally, not ship a product.


Other topics: why interpretive departments may actually be a better entry point for games than curatorial, the case for analog and paper-based work in a screen-fatigued world, what it means when a founder-driven program finally becomes an entity unto itself, and the LARPocracy research project—an EU Horizon-funded study using Nordic LARP as a model for deliberative democracy.


This one is essential listening if you're inside an institution trying to build something with games and doing it without a clear mandate from above.

  • (00:00) - Meet Erika and Play
  • (01:08) - Broadway Trip Catch Up
  • (03:19) - Origin Story to SFMOMA
  • (08:14) - Why Play SFMOMA Started
  • (13:38) - Where Games Belong
  • (29:01) - Analog Play and Fatigue
  • (34:48) - Scaling Up and Larpocracy

For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> 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 legitimacy, and what it actually took to sustain a program built on deliberate experimentation rather than proven outcomes. Erika talks about the decision to treat game designers the way SFMOMA treats sound artists and filmmakers: as essential creative collaborators, not afterthoughts. She makes a sharp distinction between gamification (which museums were chasing then, and still are) and authentic game-based programming — and explains why that difference matters for visitors.


We also talk about the institutional immune system. Erika uses the phrase literally: museums have white blood cells that attack unfamiliar things, and Play SFMOMA has spent 15 years slowly inoculating SFMOMA to interactivity. That means running an AR game jam knowing none of the prototypes would go into production, because the goal was to socialize the idea internally, not ship a product.


Other topics: why interpretive departments may actually be a better entry point for games than curatorial, the case for analog and paper-based work in a screen-fatigued world, what it means when a founder-driven program finally becomes an entity unto itself, and the LARPocracy research project—an EU Horizon-funded study using Nordic LARP as a model for deliberative democracy.


This one is essential listening if you're inside an institution trying to build something with games and doing it without a clear mandate from above.

  • (00:00) - Meet Erika and Play
  • (01:08) - Broadway Trip Catch Up
  • (03:19) - Origin Story to SFMOMA
  • (08:14) - Why Play SFMOMA Started
  • (13:38) - Where Games Belong
  • (29:01) - Analog Play and Fatigue
  • (34:48) - Scaling Up and Larpocracy

For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> Wed, 13 May 2026 14:53:43 -0700 Jamin Warren Jamin Warren 2856 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 legitimacy, and what it actually took to sustain a program built on deliberate experimentation rather than proven outcomes. Erika talks about the decision to treat game designers the way SFMOMA treats sound artists and filmmakers: as essential creative collaborators, not afterthoughts. She makes a sharp distinction between gamification (which museums were chasing then, and still are) and authentic game-based programming — and explains why that difference matters for visitors.


We also talk about the institutional immune system. Erika uses the phrase literally: museums have white blood cells that attack unfamiliar things, and Play SFMOMA has spent 15 years slowly inoculating SFMOMA to interactivity. That means running an AR game jam knowing none of the prototypes would go into production, because the goal was to socialize the idea internally, not ship a product.


Other topics: why interpretive departments may actually be a better entry point for games than curatorial, the case for analog and paper-based work in a screen-fatigued world, what it means when a founder-driven program finally becomes an entity unto itself, and the LARPocracy research project—an EU Horizon-funded study using Nordic LARP as a model for deliberative democracy.


This one is essential listening if you're inside an institution trying to build something with games and doing it without a clear mandate from above.

  • (00:00) - Meet Erika and Play
  • (01:08) - Broadway Trip Catch Up
  • (03:19) - Origin Story to SFMOMA
  • (08:14) - Why Play SFMOMA Started
  • (13:38) - Where Games Belong
  • (29:01) - Analog Play and Fatigue
  • (34:48) - Scaling Up and Larpocracy

For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> game-based arts, SFMOMA, museum programming, interpretive content, play design, institutional strategy, games and culture, cultural institutions, analog games, LARP, Nordic LARP, museum technology, game design, arts programming, audience development No How Tribeca Made Space For Games 9 9 How Tribeca Made Space For Games full b367f3e8-1869-456f-a81d-bb5cd1bdf08b https://share.transistor.fm/s/d4d418e9 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 advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> 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 advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:26:54 -0700 Jamin Warren Jamin Warren 1976 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 advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> gaming literacy, translator, cultural institutions, deep research made fun, meeting audiences where they are, strategic partnership, capacity building, institutional readiness, discovery phase, stakeholder alignment, R&D phase, menu of options, truly relevant engagement, gaming as art form, experimental programming, digital strategy gap, building internal expertise, peer institution examples, risk tolerance, innovation culture, cross-functional collaboration, millennial engagement, program development, platform partnerships, community building, pilot projects, audience research, success metrics, iterative learning, long-term partnership, subject matter expertise, organizational change management, Museum of Modern Art, British Museum, Smithsonian, Getty Research Institute, provenance research, accessible scholarship, gaming behaviors, measurement framework, proof of concept, strategic frameworks, resource flexibility, decision-making governance, content communications, cultural sector knowledge, Create Connect Convene, exhibitions commissions, digital presence, events programming No What Tribeca Games Built—And What Most Institutions Still Miss 8 8 What Tribeca Games Built—And What Most Institutions Still Miss full da9a9ad9-a391-45d5-9b18-e422563c8630 https://share.transistor.fm/s/d4cb5ebc 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 more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> 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 more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:42:09 -0700 Jamin Warren Jamin Warren 1976 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 more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> ribeca Games, game-based arts, cultural institutions, museum programming, creative practice, Casey Baltes, games and film, transmedia, institutional strategy, game-based culture No How the V&A Built a Games Program From the Inside Out 7 7 How the V&A Built a Games Program From the Inside Out full 04fd71bd-1165-4621-b7c2-08be2a247f88 https://share.transistor.fm/s/3f5302fd 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 of Art to lend a Magritte for a game show, and flew a colleague to Kyoto — where Nintendo showed her exactly one meeting room.


In this conversation, we go deep on what it actually takes to build a sustainable games program inside a cultural institution: why live events beat collection-building as a starting point, how to work with an industry that guards its IP fiercely, and what experimental game designers actually need from institutions like yours. If you're a champion inside an organization who sees the opportunity but doesn't yet have the authority to act on it — this one is for you.


  • (00:00) - Why Cultural Institutions Can't Afford to Ignore Games Anymore
  • (01:36) - Kristian Volsing's Path From Film Student to V&A Curator
  • (05:27) - How a New Director Opened the Door for Digital Design at the V&A
  • (09:20) - Inside Design/Play/Disrupt: Why Depth Beats the "50 Games on a Wall" Approach
  • (17:32) - Nintendo, NDAs, and What It Actually Takes to Partner With Game Studios
  • (27:55) - The Hard Truth About Collecting and Preserving Digital Work
  • (40:50) - Where Your Institution Should Start: Practical Advice From Someone Who Built the Path

For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> 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 of Art to lend a Magritte for a game show, and flew a colleague to Kyoto — where Nintendo showed her exactly one meeting room.


In this conversation, we go deep on what it actually takes to build a sustainable games program inside a cultural institution: why live events beat collection-building as a starting point, how to work with an industry that guards its IP fiercely, and what experimental game designers actually need from institutions like yours. If you're a champion inside an organization who sees the opportunity but doesn't yet have the authority to act on it — this one is for you.


  • (00:00) - Why Cultural Institutions Can't Afford to Ignore Games Anymore
  • (01:36) - Kristian Volsing's Path From Film Student to V&A Curator
  • (05:27) - How a New Director Opened the Door for Digital Design at the V&A
  • (09:20) - Inside Design/Play/Disrupt: Why Depth Beats the "50 Games on a Wall" Approach
  • (17:32) - Nintendo, NDAs, and What It Actually Takes to Partner With Game Studios
  • (27:55) - The Hard Truth About Collecting and Preserving Digital Work
  • (40:50) - Where Your Institution Should Start: Practical Advice From Someone Who Built the Path

For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:30:36 -0800 Jamin Warren Jamin Warren 2782 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 of Art to lend a Magritte for a game show, and flew a colleague to Kyoto — where Nintendo showed her exactly one meeting room.


In this conversation, we go deep on what it actually takes to build a sustainable games program inside a cultural institution: why live events beat collection-building as a starting point, how to work with an industry that guards its IP fiercely, and what experimental game designers actually need from institutions like yours. If you're a champion inside an organization who sees the opportunity but doesn't yet have the authority to act on it — this one is for you.


  • (00:00) - Why Cultural Institutions Can't Afford to Ignore Games Anymore
  • (01:36) - Kristian Volsing's Path From Film Student to V&A Curator
  • (05:27) - How a New Director Opened the Door for Digital Design at the V&A
  • (09:20) - Inside Design/Play/Disrupt: Why Depth Beats the "50 Games on a Wall" Approach
  • (17:32) - Nintendo, NDAs, and What It Actually Takes to Partner With Game Studios
  • (27:55) - The Hard Truth About Collecting and Preserving Digital Work
  • (40:50) - Where Your Institution Should Start: Practical Advice From Someone Who Built the Path

For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> museum games programming, V&A, games curation, cultural institutions, game design, experimental games, Design Play Disrupt, live events, permanent collection, Kristian Volsing, institutional strategy, independent games, games community No Theo Triantafyllidis on the Technical Realities of Exhibiting Game-Based Art 6 6 Theo Triantafyllidis on the Technical Realities of Exhibiting Game-Based Art full abed668e-4846-4bb3-8a86-aec1d7d4dea9 https://share.transistor.fm/s/1d4ba2b3 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 requirements, development timelines, and institutional infrastructure that most cultural organizations simply aren't prepared for.

Today, I'm speaking with Theo Triantafyllidis, an artist who builds what he calls "performative systems where natural and synthetic intelligences rehearse their coexistence." Working with games, live simulations, performances, and installations, Theo creates darkly playful procedural worlds that turn phenomena like ecological collapse and networked desire into experiences that can be felt rather than verbally explained.

Theo has exhibited at major institutions including the Whitney Museum, Centre Pompidou, and was part of the Venice Biennale's Hyper Pavilion. His work ranges from Pastoral, an intimate anti-game about a muscular orc running through an infinite hayfield, to Feral Metaverse, an ambitious eight-player multiplayer game with a custom medieval catapult rig that's been in development for over three years.

In this conversation, we go deep on the practical realities of exhibiting interactive work: Why IT staff aren't the same as technical infrastructure. How institutions fund physical installations but not digital development, or vice versa. Why a game that takes two weeks to build might tour internationally while a three-year project struggles to find the right venue. And what it means when audiences bring their player psychology into the gallery space—that instinct to test boundaries and break systems that makes games fundamentally different from other art forms.

If you're a cultural institution thinking about game-based programming, an artist navigating this landscape, or simply curious about what happens when the art world meets interactive media, this conversation offers a rare, unvarnished look at what it really takes to do this work well.

  • (00:00) - The Infrastructure Gap: Why Museums Can't Show Interactive Work
  • (00:43) - Theo Triantafyllidis on Building Performative Systems
  • (01:30) - Beyond IT: What Game-Based Art Actually Requires
  • (03:55) - The Funding Paradox: Digital vs. Physical Production
  • (08:59) - Technical Realities: Maintenance, Testing, and Player Psychology
  • (15:39) - Case Studies: From Two-Week Prototypes to Three-Year Developments
  • (25:41) - Building Institutional Literacy for Game-Based Practice

For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> 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 requirements, development timelines, and institutional infrastructure that most cultural organizations simply aren't prepared for.

Today, I'm speaking with Theo Triantafyllidis, an artist who builds what he calls "performative systems where natural and synthetic intelligences rehearse their coexistence." Working with games, live simulations, performances, and installations, Theo creates darkly playful procedural worlds that turn phenomena like ecological collapse and networked desire into experiences that can be felt rather than verbally explained.

Theo has exhibited at major institutions including the Whitney Museum, Centre Pompidou, and was part of the Venice Biennale's Hyper Pavilion. His work ranges from Pastoral, an intimate anti-game about a muscular orc running through an infinite hayfield, to Feral Metaverse, an ambitious eight-player multiplayer game with a custom medieval catapult rig that's been in development for over three years.

In this conversation, we go deep on the practical realities of exhibiting interactive work: Why IT staff aren't the same as technical infrastructure. How institutions fund physical installations but not digital development, or vice versa. Why a game that takes two weeks to build might tour internationally while a three-year project struggles to find the right venue. And what it means when audiences bring their player psychology into the gallery space—that instinct to test boundaries and break systems that makes games fundamentally different from other art forms.

If you're a cultural institution thinking about game-based programming, an artist navigating this landscape, or simply curious about what happens when the art world meets interactive media, this conversation offers a rare, unvarnished look at what it really takes to do this work well.

  • (00:00) - The Infrastructure Gap: Why Museums Can't Show Interactive Work
  • (00:43) - Theo Triantafyllidis on Building Performative Systems
  • (01:30) - Beyond IT: What Game-Based Art Actually Requires
  • (03:55) - The Funding Paradox: Digital vs. Physical Production
  • (08:59) - Technical Realities: Maintenance, Testing, and Player Psychology
  • (15:39) - Case Studies: From Two-Week Prototypes to Three-Year Developments
  • (25:41) - Building Institutional Literacy for Game-Based Practice

For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:52:01 -0800 Jamin Warren Jamin Warren 2170 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 requirements, development timelines, and institutional infrastructure that most cultural organizations simply aren't prepared for.

Today, I'm speaking with Theo Triantafyllidis, an artist who builds what he calls "performative systems where natural and synthetic intelligences rehearse their coexistence." Working with games, live simulations, performances, and installations, Theo creates darkly playful procedural worlds that turn phenomena like ecological collapse and networked desire into experiences that can be felt rather than verbally explained.

Theo has exhibited at major institutions including the Whitney Museum, Centre Pompidou, and was part of the Venice Biennale's Hyper Pavilion. His work ranges from Pastoral, an intimate anti-game about a muscular orc running through an infinite hayfield, to Feral Metaverse, an ambitious eight-player multiplayer game with a custom medieval catapult rig that's been in development for over three years.

In this conversation, we go deep on the practical realities of exhibiting interactive work: Why IT staff aren't the same as technical infrastructure. How institutions fund physical installations but not digital development, or vice versa. Why a game that takes two weeks to build might tour internationally while a three-year project struggles to find the right venue. And what it means when audiences bring their player psychology into the gallery space—that instinct to test boundaries and break systems that makes games fundamentally different from other art forms.

If you're a cultural institution thinking about game-based programming, an artist navigating this landscape, or simply curious about what happens when the art world meets interactive media, this conversation offers a rare, unvarnished look at what it really takes to do this work well.

  • (00:00) - The Infrastructure Gap: Why Museums Can't Show Interactive Work
  • (00:43) - Theo Triantafyllidis on Building Performative Systems
  • (01:30) - Beyond IT: What Game-Based Art Actually Requires
  • (03:55) - The Funding Paradox: Digital vs. Physical Production
  • (08:59) - Technical Realities: Maintenance, Testing, and Player Psychology
  • (15:39) - Case Studies: From Two-Week Prototypes to Three-Year Developments
  • (25:41) - Building Institutional Literacy for Game-Based Practice

For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> game based arts, cultural institutions, interactive media, museum practice, exhibition design, digital curation, institutional infrastructure, contemporary art, artist interview, technical requirements, new media art, curatorial practice, art and technology, game art, institutional innovation No Fandom as Ocean: Building Authentic Communities for Art-Forward Games (w/ Bria Davis) 1 1 Fandom as Ocean: Building Authentic Communities for Art-Forward Games (w/ Bria Davis) full Buzzsprout-17445795 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b7df11ac 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 to leading community strategy for some of gaming's most innovative studios. Her journey through projects like the cultural phenomenon Blaseball offers invaluable insights for creators bridging art and gaming audiences.

Key insights for experimental game creators:

  • Why fandom is like an ocean—beautiful but requiring respect and careful navigation
  • The crucial differences between Discord and Twitch communities and how they serve different creative goals
  • How "intimate publics" form around shared media consumption and why understanding this matters for your artistic vision
  • Practical strategies for launching your first gaming community without losing creative control
  • Why the loudest voices aren't always the ones worth listening to

Whether you're preparing for your first Steam release or cultivating an audience for your interactive art project, this conversation reveals how authentic community building can amplify your creative vision while maintaining artistic integrity.

Bria's expertise spans community health, cultural engagement, and the delicate balance between creative expression and audience development—making this a must-listen for any creator serious about finding their people in the gaming space.

This episode was hosted by Jamin Warren. Music was provided by Lusine.

Twofivesix is a strategic consultancy that helps artists and cultural organizations engage with gamers. Founder and CEO Jamin Warren speaks to experts at the intersection of game-based art and marketing to help you find your audience.

]]> 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 to leading community strategy for some of gaming's most innovative studios. Her journey through projects like the cultural phenomenon Blaseball offers invaluable insights for creators bridging art and gaming audiences.

Key insights for experimental game creators:

  • Why fandom is like an ocean—beautiful but requiring respect and careful navigation
  • The crucial differences between Discord and Twitch communities and how they serve different creative goals
  • How "intimate publics" form around shared media consumption and why understanding this matters for your artistic vision
  • Practical strategies for launching your first gaming community without losing creative control
  • Why the loudest voices aren't always the ones worth listening to

Whether you're preparing for your first Steam release or cultivating an audience for your interactive art project, this conversation reveals how authentic community building can amplify your creative vision while maintaining artistic integrity.

Bria's expertise spans community health, cultural engagement, and the delicate balance between creative expression and audience development—making this a must-listen for any creator serious about finding their people in the gaming space.

This episode was hosted by Jamin Warren. Music was provided by Lusine.

Twofivesix is a strategic consultancy that helps artists and cultural organizations engage with gamers. Founder and CEO Jamin Warren speaks to experts at the intersection of game-based art and marketing to help you find your audience.

]]> Tue, 08 Jul 2025 21:00:00 -0700 Twofivesix Twofivesix 1926 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 to leading community strategy for some of gaming's most innovative studios. Her journey through p... 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-forw gaming literacy, translator, cultural institutions, deep research made fun, meeting audiences where they are, strategic partnership, capacity building, institutional readiness, discovery phase, stakeholder alignment, R&D phase, menu of options, truly relevant engagement, gaming as art form, experimental programming, digital strategy gap, building internal expertise, peer institution examples, risk tolerance, innovation culture, cross-functional collaboration, millennial engagement, program development, platform partnerships, community building, pilot projects, audience research, success metrics, iterative learning, long-term partnership, subject matter expertise, organizational change management, Museum of Modern Art, British Museum, Smithsonian, Getty Research Institute, provenance research, accessible scholarship, gaming behaviors, measurement framework, proof of concept, strategic frameworks, resource flexibility, decision-making governance, content communications, cultural sector knowledge, Create Connect Convene, exhibitions commissions, digital presence, events programming No Creating Positive Gaming Spaces 5 5 Creating Positive Gaming Spaces full c06e73e9-2533-40d5-b98e-81f5c8a989f7 https://share.transistor.fm/s/63c66431 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 game makers developers can inspire better behavior in players and debunk the widespread belief that gamers are antisocial. 

Chris and I also delve into the exciting prospects of how using cues from physical spaces can create palpable experiences in the digital world. We're not just talking about games; we're talking about fostering positive social interactions in gaming spaces, and you're invited to join the conversation.

This episode was hosted by Jamin Warren. Music was provided by Lusine.


For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> 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 game makers developers can inspire better behavior in players and debunk the widespread belief that gamers are antisocial. 

Chris and I also delve into the exciting prospects of how using cues from physical spaces can create palpable experiences in the digital world. We're not just talking about games; we're talking about fostering positive social interactions in gaming spaces, and you're invited to join the conversation.

This episode was hosted by Jamin Warren. Music was provided by Lusine.


For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> Wed, 23 Aug 2023 13:00:00 -0700 Jamin Warren Jamin Warren 1561 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 game makers developers can inspire better behavior in players and debunk the widespread belief that gamers are antisocial. 

Chris and I also delve into the exciting prospects of how using cues from physical spaces can create palpable experiences in the digital world. We're not just talking about games; we're talking about fostering positive social interactions in gaming spaces, and you're invited to join the conversation.

This episode was hosted by Jamin Warren. Music was provided by Lusine.


For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> Chris Norris, Jamin Warren, 256 Agency, Electronic Arts, EA, Positive Play, Player Connection, Game Design, Brand Safety, Online Communities, Disruptive Behavior, Gaming Culture, Social Gaming, Discord, In-Game Toxicity, Community Management, Digital Spaces No How Games Marketing Affects Social Change with Ad Council's Rebecca Mir 4 4 How Games Marketing Affects Social Change with Ad Council's Rebecca Mir full c6e03cfc-3e7b-4391-a1a4-77235f458877 https://share.transistor.fm/s/137afd0c 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, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> 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, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2020 13:31:00 -0800 Jamin Warren Jamin Warren 1508 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, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> Ad Council, Rebecca Mir, Jamin Warren, 256 Agency, Social Impact Gaming, Game for Good, Seize the Awkward, Guild Wars 2, Kingdom Hearts 3, Public Service Announcements, PSA, In-game Advertising, Mental Health Awareness, Suicide Prevention, Bullying Prevention, Digital Product Management, Non-profit Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Social Good, NCSoft, Square Enix No How Video Game Fundraisers Create Big Opportunity for Charities w/ Twitch's Alyssa Sweetman 3 3 How Video Game Fundraisers Create Big Opportunity for Charities w/ Twitch's Alyssa Sweetman full d79a242b-2b97-4619-ab47-f4ba00d6e807 https://share.transistor.fm/s/30499dbc 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 Sweetman, diversity and charity platform manager at Twitch says about the success of fundraisers. "I think that it has everything to do with instant feedback loop."

Alyssa has helped lead some amazing activities in her role. When COVID first hit, she worked with brands like Verizon and P&G too put together an amazing 12-hour event that featured live music from Ellie Goulding and Diplo alongside competitions in Fortnite and UNO. All proceeds went to the United Nations Foundation's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. She also helped to raise over $300,000 for The Trevor Project.

I spoke with Alyssa about how to pick the right streamers for your fundraiser, why videogame charity events aren't any different from walk-a-thons, and why you should let influencers just be themselves.

For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> 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 Sweetman, diversity and charity platform manager at Twitch says about the success of fundraisers. "I think that it has everything to do with instant feedback loop."

Alyssa has helped lead some amazing activities in her role. When COVID first hit, she worked with brands like Verizon and P&G too put together an amazing 12-hour event that featured live music from Ellie Goulding and Diplo alongside competitions in Fortnite and UNO. All proceeds went to the United Nations Foundation's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. She also helped to raise over $300,000 for The Trevor Project.

I spoke with Alyssa about how to pick the right streamers for your fundraiser, why videogame charity events aren't any different from walk-a-thons, and why you should let influencers just be themselves.

For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> Wed, 09 Sep 2020 12:00:00 -0700 Jamin Warren Jamin Warren 1136 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 Sweetman, diversity and charity platform manager at Twitch says about the success of fundraisers. "I think that it has everything to do with instant feedback loop."

Alyssa has helped lead some amazing activities in her role. When COVID first hit, she worked with brands like Verizon and P&G too put together an amazing 12-hour event that featured live music from Ellie Goulding and Diplo alongside competitions in Fortnite and UNO. All proceeds went to the United Nations Foundation's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. She also helped to raise over $300,000 for The Trevor Project.

I spoke with Alyssa about how to pick the right streamers for your fundraiser, why videogame charity events aren't any different from walk-a-thons, and why you should let influencers just be themselves.

For more insights, signup for my newsletter.

Jamin Warren founded Gameplayarts, an advisory that helps museums and cultural organizations engage with the world of gaming. He provides them with the research, strategy, and execution they need to reach gamers for the first–or millionth–time. Gameplayarts’ past and present clients organizations like MoMA, the Getty Research Institute, Tribeca Enterprises, and PBS.

]]> Alyssa Sweetman, 256 Agency, Jamin Warren, Twitch, Influencer Marketing, Charity Fundraising, Live Streaming, Nonprofits, NGOs, St. Jude, Trevor Project, Gen Z, Millennials, Community Building, Tiltify, Gaming Culture, Digital Philanthropy, Gameplayarts No Netflix’s narrative designer on making interactive stories more accessible 2 2 Netflix’s narrative designer on making interactive stories more accessible full 88e9b86a-be94-4b6e-aede-caa0e6cce09f https://share.transistor.fm/s/4747fd5e 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.

]]> 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.

]]> Fri, 06 Sep 2019 12:31:00 -0700 Jamin Warren Jamin Warren 983 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.

]]> gaming literacy, translator, cultural institutions, deep research made fun, meeting audiences where they are, strategic partnership, capacity building, institutional readiness, discovery phase, stakeholder alignment, R&D phase, menu of options, truly relevant engagement, gaming as art form, experimental programming, digital strategy gap, building internal expertise, peer institution examples, risk tolerance, innovation culture, cross-functional collaboration, millennial engagement, program development, platform partnerships, community building, pilot projects, audience research, success metrics, iterative learning, long-term partnership, subject matter expertise, organizational change management, Museum of Modern Art, British Museum, Smithsonian, Getty Research Institute, provenance research, accessible scholarship, gaming behaviors, measurement framework, proof of concept, strategic frameworks, resource flexibility, decision-making governance, content communications, cultural sector knowledge, Create Connect Convene, exhibitions commissions, digital presence, events programming No Why is The New York Times making games? 1 1 Why is The New York Times making games? full 7aadd73e-b6a6-4660-82a0-6fd0bbcf0f80 https://share.transistor.fm/s/cf990321 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.

]]> 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.

]]> Wed, 04 Sep 2019 12:00:00 -0700 Jamin Warren Jamin Warren 770 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.

]]> Jamin Warren, Sam Von Ehren, New York Times, NYT Games, game design, marketing, interactivity, crossword puzzles, Will Shortz, Spelling Bee, journalism, digital media, Gameplayarts, Kill Screen, casual games, mobile games, future of play, puzzles, news industry, gamification No