Dundee Contemporary Arts, a world-class centre for the development and exhibition of contemporary art and culture, will be working with two experts from Scottish-based games companies: Colin Anderson from Denki and Yann Seznec from Lucky Frame.
DCA will embed technologists within the organisation and give them freedom to work to improve experiences of both staff and visitors through “gamifying” the processes which are used within the organisation to support increasing engagement with audiences, customer experimentation and the development of dynamic ticketing models.
Denki is Scotland’s longest-established independent game developer delivering more than 150 games for some of the world’s largest media companies – from DreamWorks to Disney, and Warner Bros to Universal Picture. Their latest release, strategy-word game Quarrel has been praised by press and players alike and was awarded “Best Game” by BAFTA Scotland in 2011.
Colin Anderson of Denki said: “The opportunity to share our experience with the team from DCA as they make digital a core part of their organisation is something we’re really excited about. Not just because we’ll be able to save them from repeating mistakes we’ve made, but because we’ll be learning lots ourselves in the process. We’re already big fans of DCA as frequent visitors, so seeing how their operation runs will allow us to consider which of their approaches Denki could adopt. And, of course, there’s nothing quite like having to explain our methods to others to highlight what we still don’t fully understand ourselves, so that will keep us on our toes! And that, after all, is what this whole project is about – helping everyone to learn and improve.”
Lucky Frame is a small creative studio based in Edinburgh, focusing on innovative and exciting approaches to audience interaction, play, and creation. Founded in 2008 by Yann Seznec, Lucky Frame has received awards and support from the University of Edinburgh, Nesta, the British Council, Creative Scotland, and Channel 4. Their work includes iPhone apps, desktop computer software, games, and performance systems, all of which aim to find new ways to encourage creativity through technology.
Yann Seznec of Lucky Frame said: “This partnership with DCA and Denki will enable us to explore new ideas and concepts in a thriving community hub, both with people working in the space as well as visitors. As a company we strongly value artistic and creative partnerships, and this project will provide an amazing opportunity to collaborate with world-class institutions to research and develop creative solutions to challenges including audience outreach, participation, and employee engagement.”