1 Exploiting digital game technologies for the new needs of artistic training and creation Konstantinos Tiligadis 1 , Yiannis Konstantinou 2 , Stavroula Zoi 3 , Manthos Santorinaios 4 1 gustil@asfa.gr , 2 i_konsta@hotmail.com , 3 vzoi@telecom.ntua.gr , 4 msantori@otenet.gr Multimedia-Hypermedia Laboratory, Athens School of Fine Arts 256 Pireos Ave, 18346, Athens, Greece Abstract Digital game industry has already exceeded cinema industry in terms of profit, thus influencing the whole audiovisual production chain. Recent technological advances concerning not only multimedia content creation and intelligent user interfaces, but also network access (e.g. through Internet and even mobile networks) have played a key role on the evolution of digital games, while creating a new audiovisual culture. Within this context, digital games have evolved to very powerful multi-user environments where participants can play, learn and even create in a collaborative way. Schools of Art that deal with artistic digital content creation cannot stay indifferent to this new cultural dimension of digital games. In this paper, the research team of the laboratory of multimedia-hypermedia of the Athens School of Fine Arts investigates this matter both from the artistic, and from the technological perspective, while working towards the development of a training tool for artistic creation which is based on digital games technologies. First of all, a thorough study is realized concerning the evolution of image culture and technologies that led to the enormous industry of digital games, from 2D picture post- production for digital TV, to interactive 3D cinema enhanced with artificial intelligence entities. The training and creation needs that digital art poses are considered, as well as how these needs can benefit from digital games technologies. Then, the first release of the “Virtual Museum”, a prototype 3D platform is presented. This platform is suitable for incorporating students’ digital pieces of art, while giving visitors the potential to explore this virtual museum by navigating and interacting with the 3D content, in well specified scenarios that remind of a game. Towards implementation, state-of-the-art 3D game technologies have been exploited. The first usage scenario is presented together with some results. Finally, directions for further work are exposed, concerning both theoretical and technical issues. Keywords: digital games, multi-user, virtual museum, training and creation