INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE
What game shall we play?

You will analyze children’s ludic activities, or/and children’s actions, potentialities and instruments with an aptitude toward play.
Play implies the choice of a field, rules and a framework, but also the idea of expansion and change without limitations. A game can be different plays; can be related to an evanescent, virtual space (video-games, online-games) or to a real, known surrounding space (hide-and-seek), or to an unpredictable space. Games extend into physical space that is permeated by devices, sensors, information technologies.

Choose your favorite playing situation, game or ludic activity. Particularly, you will focus on the following components:
- Creativity, fantasy, luck, competition, excellence, pleasure, imagination, safety, scenarios and situations, dynamics, movement, stimulation of emotions, illusion, magic, ambiguity, spatial relationships, ability, rules, fictions, freedom towards experience, adventure and narration.

You should explore forms of relationships between the real or the conceptual space of play and the special role of the player/players.


Process
Compose an assembly of 8 ½ x 11” images, combined with digital or hand drawings/sketches, and /or diagrams representing the narrative of your selected play/game/ludic activities.
Mount your process of visual mapping on a horizontal cheap-board stripe, max length 36” (3 ft), max height 11”.
Use colors only in selected areas/zones/parts, to emphasize a concept running through the entire stripe.
You must also apply the following manipulations to selected parts of the images/drawings/diagrams: cutting, layering, overlapping, folding, and bending.

The resulting narrative should have a 3D graphical and physical result.


References
Alberto Iacovoni, Game Zone, IT Revolution series, Birkhauser, 2004
Steffen P. Walz, Space Time Play. Computer games, Architecture and Urbanism: the next level, Birkhauser 2007
www.playbe.com
www.spacetimeplay.org
www.gigglepotz.com/kidsworld.htm
www.pbskids.com
www.webkinz.com
www.kids.nationalgeographic.com

Fields of interests: playground activities, toys, books, music, arts, stories, media, electronics, etc.


Due Tuesday, Jan 13
Class pin-up