The Met Joins The Wild World Of Web3 With New Blockchain Game

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Metropolitan Museum of Art may be best known for its ancient and historical art collection, but the museum is now stepping into the brave new world of Web3 with a blockchain-based game called Art Links.

For the uninitiated, Web3 has been touted as the new generation of the internet, one that is totally decentralized and runs on a public ledger of transactions called the blockchain, which is where you'll find cryptocurrency transactions and digital art called non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, that can be bought and sold, sometimes for millions of dollars.

To play Art Links, users are shown a collection of seven works of art, and have to identify the common threads between them, ranging from similar materials or gestures to comparable messages and themes.

Players who can accurately identify the common threads between the art pieces from The Met's collection can earn NFT badges and achievements in the game and are entered to win Museum exhibition catalogues, discounts at The Met Store, and private curator-led tours.

"This groundbreaking online game is an exciting first for The Met and a singular experience in the museum field at large," Max Hollein, The Met's CEO, said. "By bringing works of art from collections across the Museum — from Modern and Contemporary Art to Asian to Egyptian Art — players can broaden their engagement and understanding of culture and creativity in a fun and compelling way."

The game, which uses blockchain technology, was designed in partnership with the art and tech platform TRLab. The artworks featured in the game span centuries, and each chain includes at least one contemporary piece, museum officials said.

Museum officials said the first couple of themes will include "Objects in Disguise" which features art made from surprising materials, "Art x Tech" which explores artists' opinions on technological innovation across time, and "Harlem as Muse" featuring artists who drew their inspiration from the historically Black Manhattan neighborhood.

"We're combining digital innovation with artistic expression to create truly transformative experiences," Audrey Ou, CEO of TRLab, said.

New challenges will be released on Thursdays at midnight for the next 12 weeks, museum officials said. See the game here.

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