Reading Group - Playfully Experimental and Experimentally Playful

Title
Reading Group: Playfully Experimental and Experimentally Playful

Organisers
Rilla Khaled (rikh@itu.dk), IT University of Copenhagen
Pippin Barr (pippin.barr@gmail.com), IT University of Copenhagen
Douglas Wilson (dewilson@itu.dk), IT University of Copenhagen

Link to webpage
Reading Group: Playfully Experimental and Experimentally Playful

Dates of the course
February through early April (10 weekly meetings)

Time
To be decided by the participants

Course description What can game studies and game design learn from design research? What can design research learn from the study of play and games, both digital and non-digital? And what would a more “playful” design practice look like? Drawing from disciplines such as game studies, design studies, interaction design, art practice, and anthropology, this reading group attempts to facilitate some cross-pollination between the study of play and the study of design. In particular, the reading group will focus on alternative design goals and practices. What might it mean to design for confusion, frustration, reflection, or awe? And how do we evaluate such designs? The course will take the form of a discussion group. The list of readings will be determined by the participants themselves.

Program
Each meeting, one or two students will lead a discussion on a research paper of their choosing, assigned the week before.
Some example readings, chosen by the organizers, include:
• Bill Gaver, “Designing for Homo Ludens, Still”
• Phoebe Sengers, “Reflective design”
• Florian Mueller et al., “Brute Force Interactions: Leveraging Intense Physical Actions in Gaming”
• Peter Peltonen et al., “It's Mine, Don't Touch!: Interactions at a Large Multi-Touch Display in a City Centre”
• Katherine Isbister, “The Sensual Evaluation Instrument: Developing an Affective Evaluation Tool”
(Full references available upon request)

Exam
None. Students evaluated on participation

Credits 2.5 ECTS