Play
tactic#6The intention of using play as a deliberate tactic in design is to divert attention away from the emphasis on ‘outcome’ to the genuine exploration of uncensored process. To Play means : to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose




generative action:
generating outcomes
like playing games of chance or skill
Using play to generate ideas via lateral thinking / or divergent processes: for this you need cues and ‘randomness’ generators.
collective action:
challenge ideas and refine thinking
like playing a board game
Playing with someone/something – exploring strategies sharing experiences.
meditative action:
A great way to meander through ideas and allow for unfocussed thinking
like building with lego or blocks
Playing alone or with someone where the objective is to achieve or attain a sense of ‘flow’.
Other ways of using play involve active physical body movement – this forces the inclusion of the larger body rather than only the eye-head-hand triad.
From here we move onto a meditative play exercise where the prompt is Homelessness-mobile home. Working with simple modelling materials students had an hour to respond. Some of the surprises that emerged as a result of the play-box – folding interiors / tricycle + room combo / floating homes and renewable energy sources! Images below

Here the designers created a tangible prototype to investigate these insights more fully—designing a highly-researched (and playable) board game that takes players through the user journey of Active Duty, and then through Veteran Life. (Gameplay reveals countless obstacles in both; the deck is indeed stacked against women.)
Ulitsa Dimitrova / Game Presentation
A hand drawn computer game by Lea Schönfelder and Gerard Delmàs. The task: Try to survive in the streets of Russia. An adventure where you play the role of the seven years old chain-smoker Pjotr.
Week 8 / Play / Food / Fun / Reset







