RMIT opens experimental entertainment lab
RMIT University will open a Games and Experimental Entertainment Laboratory to research new creative visions, products and business models.
We have started a conversation with Film Victoria a while ago, and we are proud to have them on board for the GEElab launch symposium. We are looking for mid to long term sponsors from the screen industry who would like to creatively investigate with us how in the future, linear content can be, for example, seconded by online and game-like engagement, or how screen storytelling can be more tightly integrated with the audience,” GEElab director Dr Steffen P. Walz told Encore.
According to Walz, GEElab is currently negotiating with potential sponsors, mainly from Europe and the US.
“These belong to a diverse set of industries, telecommunications, interactive TV, automobile and, of course, games and interactive entertainment. These potential collaborators are particularly interested in our research on the merging of everyday activities with game mechanics and mobile/social/online game-like apps and ecosystems. We expect to announce the first partnerships this autumn,” added Walz.
At GEElab, researchers will work to ‘gamify’ traditionally non-linear media such as TV, film and radio, creating new design strategies, narratives and service prototypes. The research will also aim to push the boundaries of games and entertainment, investigating how they can be used to positively influence and change behaviour.
GEElab will open next Tuesday, March 15.