State of the art: Experiments from The Met and Hollywood

Gamified art history and collaborative world-building showcases the ways crypto is unlocking audience engagement

article-image

Sergii Figurnyi/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share


This is a segment from the 0xResearch newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.


From the storied halls of The Met museum to crafting a new generation of hallowed Hollywood stories, crypto is making inroads. Two novel projects — The Met’s Art Links and Incention’s Emergence — hint at how crypto is evolving audience engagement with art and narrative.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has launched its first blockchain-powered experience, Art Links, in an effort to gamify art history. This interactive game invites players to explore The Met’s collection by identifying thematic connections between artworks. Art Links rewards players with NFT badges and real-world perks, such as private museum tours and exhibition catalogues. Built on Base, the experience offers some in-game purchases using crypto, alongside free NFTs for players.

The Met’s project is one that falls in the “Phigital” category — blending digital and physical experiences in a bid to modernize the museum-going experience. The inclusion of “Web3” as one of four connection types in the game shows “how artists across time have engaged with core concepts underpinning the blockchain, such as randomization, security and ledgers,” according to the developer TRLab.

In its first week, Art Links recorded nearly 20,000 plays, with over 1,600 NFTs claimed. A new game is set to roll out each Thursday at 12:01 am ET for the next three months.

Emergence: Collaborative storytelling

While The Met is gamifying art appreciation, Incention and Story Protocol are looking to redefine franchise storytelling. Their new sci-fi project, Emergence — developed with The Dark Knight and Foundation creator David S. Goyer — offers a blockchain-powered platform where fans and creators can co-develop expansive narrative universes.

The project uses Story’s blockchain, which recently launched a developer mainnet, to ensure that all contributions — such as characters, worlds and plotlines — are recognized and compensated via smart contracts.

Incention’s AI co-pilot, Atlas, is also part of the creative process, supporting the ability to generate ideas, visual assets and narratives. The goal is to allow intellectual property holders to open their worlds to collaborative storytelling while maintaining clear licensing and revenue-sharing models. Is this yet another instance of AI-boosted productivity that streamlines Hollywood’s relationship with digital content creation? Or will AI-driven contributions dilute the originality and emotional depth that comes from human writers?

Either way, powerhouse institutions like The Met and Hollywood embracing these tools is indicative of where we’re headed — the lines between creator, audience and collector will continue to blur.

Crypto’s applications are primarily financial, but it’s worth being on the lookout for novel ways the provenance of a distributed, shared ledger can unlock new experiences and shape culture in era digitalis.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

  • Blockworks Daily: The newsletter that helps thousands of investors understand crypto and the markets, by Byron Gilliam.
  • Empire: Start your morning with the top news and analysis to inform your day in crypto.
  • Forward Guidance: Reporting and analysis on the growing intersection of crypto and macroeconomics, policy and finance.
  • 0xResearch: Alpha directly in your inbox. Market highlights, data, degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance and more.
  • Lightspeed: Built for Solana investors, developers and community members. The latest from one of crypto’s hottest networks.
  • The Drop: For crypto collectors and traders, covering apps, games, memes and more.
  • Supply Shock: Tracking Bitcoin’s rise from internet plaything worth less than a penny to global phenomenon disrupting money as we know it.
Tags

Upcoming Events

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research

article-image

The platform also rolled out 13 tokenized funds for institutions on the Connect platform

article-image

The company’s expanded lineup introduces new ETF products, as more and more issuers get into crypto funds

article-image

President Donald Trump announced a 10% levy on almost all goods and additional tariffs on so-called “worst offending” countries

article-image

Solana may be in “recomposition” mode, as new protocols put usefulness ahead of mere virality

article-image

The stablecoin issuer will have to contend with bigger players and the interest rates environment

article-image

The president reportedly was still working on his tariff policy plans late Tuesday evening