The Metropolitan Museum of Art launches Art Links blockchain game

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has launched a short session Web3 game, Art Linkswhich invites players to identify common threads among works of art.

This is The Met's first Web3-based experience. Designed in partnership with the art and tech platform TRLabthis mobile-first, browser-based, blockchain-based game presents a new way to interact with the Museum, and enables the collection of unique non-fungible token (NFT) in-game badges and win personal and digital prizes.

Art Links launches today and is available on The Met's website. The serialized game, which releases new challenges every week, features over 140 works of art from across The Met's collection. After successfully finding art-based links – or “chains” – between works, players can receive free NFT “badges” and earn “achievements” by tackling in-game challenges. After the January 23rd release, new challenges will be released on Thursdays at 12:01am EST for 12 weeks.

The game is available on the web and can be played on screen readers for those with visual impairments, said Brett Renfer, senior product manager of emerging technologies, in a news release.

If you're a gamer, you're probably aware that a lot of people look down on games as a form of art, but that becomes harder to say when a museum like The Met is involved. in gaming.

The goal is to find missing artistic links: words, objects, works of art or emojis. It is played in three rounds, with each round becoming more difficult. You can read the artwork label and a fun fact about the Met and its history. If you get a reward and complete three, you get an NFT. It's a 12-week game, with unique content every week. There are seven performances in total, with five being free and two that you can purchase for $15 each. Grand prize is a year's membership or a private tour with the curator.

The goal is to attract Web3 enthusiasts, art fans and casual gamers “and show that there's a place for them all at the Met,” Renfer said.

Players who earn achievements will be entered to win exciting prizes. Among the themes that players will discover during the 12 weeks are: “Objects in Disguise,” works of art made of surprising and sometimes deliberately deceptive materials, such as Paper Med No.18 by Su Xianzhong; “Art x Tech,” with works that touch on artists' engagement with technological innovation over time, including Matthew Jensen's The 49 States; and rewards, such as Museum exhibition catalogs, discounts at The Met Store, and private, curator-led tours.

“This brand new online game is an exciting debut for The Met and a unique experience in the
in the wider museum field,” said Max Hollein, the Met's Marina Kellen, Head of France, in a statement. “By bringing works of art from collections across the Museum – from New Art -modern and Contemporary to Asian Art to Egyptian Art – players can expand their communication and understanding of culture and creativity in a fun and exciting way.Art Links is truly an example of how The Met continues forward linking audience to ideas and to each other as they explore emerging technology.”

The artworks featured in the game were selected by Destinee Filmore, assistant curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, and a cross-disciplinary team from across The Met's vast collection. Each chain includes at least one work from The Met's collection of 20th and 21st century art, placing these works in a wider creative context.

Filmore said in a press release that the game features four types of links: “Highlights,” showcasing key works, artists or trends; “Materials,” focusing on how works are made; “Emojis,” highlighting signs, symbols, and visual culture; and “Web3,” showing how artists over time have engaged with basic concepts that underlie the blockchain, such as randomness, security, and ledgers. “Harlem as Muse,” by artists who looked to Harlem as a subject and source of inspiration, including Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, and Jacob Lawrence.

Audrey Ou, CEO of TRLab, said in a statement, “As a company at the forefront of art and technology, we are committed to creating new ways for audiences to discover, engage and immerse themselves in art and culture. Partnering with The Met on their first Web3 experience reflects our belief that the future of art is about strengthening connections between creators, collectors and fans. We combine digital innovation with artistic flair to create transformative experiences.”

Ou said in a press release that the idea is to make art more accessible to a wider audience, and he envisions blockchain for tracking participation and rewarding participation. The goal is to make the game “sticky,” where people return over 12 weeks.

In each game, players create a series consisting of seven works of art and six links. The links can be words, emojis, or works of art. The series is completed in three rounds, with each round becoming more difficult. Players have four attempts to complete each chain correctly. No prior knowledge of art history is required to play, and the game includes built-in learning sessions – accessible via an icon on each digital representation of art – to learn more about the work and the person – art.

Players can collect 12 free badges, one for each weekly streak, with opportunities to earn seven achievements related to in-game challenges. Five of the achievement tokens are free, and two tokens can be purchased at a reasonable price. (No purchase required to enter or win.) Built on Base (L2 Coinbase), the game accepts cryptocurrency and credit card payments through MoonPay and Stripe.

The game was built with universal accessibility in mind and features screen-reader-friendly code along with visual descriptions of all artwork and icons in the game. These features were developed in partnership with The Met's Access team and individual testers from the Filomen MD'Agostino Greenberg School of Music.

Art Links will appear on The Met website as well as on social media. The Museum occupies two iconic sites in New York City – The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also participate in The Met experience online. It was founded in 1870.

TRLab unites artists and technologists to develop fine art collectibles that foster deeper connections between digital artists, collectors and fans. Driven by a mission to make art more global through innovative, hybrid experiences combining digital and physical art, TRLab has designed and launched innovative art experiences with artists, estates and institutions. Notable TRLab collaborations include “The Calder Question,” a multi-season educational project developed by the Calder Foundation.

A woman-led company, TRLab was co-founded in 2021 by CEO Audrey Ou, Rockbund Art Museum board member and chair Xin Li-Cohen, non-executive vice president at Christie's.