Games and art? What can culture learn from the gaming experience

After a long day, stressful week, or tough month, culture can be a beacon of light. It pulls you out of reality for a moment, lets you drift into another world, and provides new perspectives. Games do this too and perhaps go even further. The latest games thrive on interaction, immersion, and collaboration. VR, AR, and other technologies are already fully integrated here. What can cultural organizations learn from this for the experience of their offerings? Game developer Matt Radford builds the bridge.

4 min. read26 sep `23

Knowledge & Inspiration

The role of experience in art

One of the most effective ways to convey a message to people is to let them experience it themselves. That’s what an experience offers. It allows you to step into a story and, by extension, into someone else’s shoes. Whether it’s about the 1953 North Sea flood, the effects of climate change, or the joy of play and entertainment.

Cultural organizations have the task and mission to bring all these different stories to the forefront. By ensuring that a story becomes an experience, they increase its impact. The more immersive the experience, the better visitors can empathize with it. Digital tools are a powerful means to help achieve this.

What is an ‘immersive experience’?

Immersive means to submerge. An immersive experience pulls the audience or visitor into a new world. Different digital technologies, such as virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, are often used for this purpose. By stimulating various senses in this way, the visitor feels like part of the experience.

''Integrate new technologies like AR, VR, and more. Embrace them and use them to enrich your experience.''
Matt Radford

Why digital?

Matt is a strong advocate for implementing digital technologies. Why? You might wonder. And that’s already the right question to ask, Matt believes: “People who ask the ‘why’ question are the smartest people.” By continuously questioning what you do and why you do it, you make change part of your identity while preserving that identity.

The answer to why digital is simple, says Matt:

New technologies make art and culture accessible; they can also help make complex topics more understandable
New technologies almost never replace old media: they enrich the offerings
Technologies always build on previous developments, so time spent on digital development is never wasted
Digital tools can stimulate even more senses, making stories and experiences richer

Audience of the future

Digitization supports cultural organizations in increasing accessibility, audience engagement, and efficiency. With DEN Academy, we provide insights into who your audience is and how the world is changing through workshops.

View our workshops

Investing in enrichment

Matt’s first tip is to identify where the greatest enrichment lies for your audience. Investing in an experience is investing in your target group. What do they want? What do they expect? And what can you offer them?

Once you have the answers to those questions, you can take action. Collaboration is important in this process; technical experts know better what is possible and can show you how your story comes to life digitally. Look for a partner in technical or financial areas and ensure you have these three points clear, says Matt:

Who is your target group? And why is this also a relevant target group for your partner?
Why do you want to do this? What is your mission, your vision for this project?
What do you bring to the table? Why is the collaboration valuable for both parties?

Enriching your experience means putting your audience at the center. Cinekid and EenVandaag are already doing this. How? Read about it in this article (opens in new tab).

Matt Radford is a filmmaker and game developer known for projects like The Last of Us. He worked at Epic Games, where Fortnite and many other games were created. He has experience with AR, VR, and VFX (= Visual Effects). In June 2023, he spoke at the DEN Conference.