All posts in Playful Processes

…and you stay in Wonderland.

The term ‘augmented reality’ (AR for short) has become more mainstream as app and game developers embrace it, especially on mobiles. It is the stuff of sci-fi, and has been for quite some time, but it’s looking more and more real every day. AR is a live view of the real world that has additional information via computer-generated input, such as GPS, sounds, and graphics. Generally, AR works in real time so you get instant feedback and it changes as you use it.

That’s about as technical as I’m going to get. The easiest real world example that I can think of is a city guide. You hold up your phone with camera and GPS switched on and it pings information like restaurants, hotels, sights and attractions. Museums and galleries are increasingly getting in to an AR offering for their extensive collections of paintings and artifacts, and I’ve experienced the London Zoo app for myself which gives you animal facts and uses location data to show you where the nearest zoo facilities are.

AR has it’s practical uses, so now I want to talk about the unusual and the playful!

Lets look at games. The latest handheld consoles from Nintendo and Sony came with ‘AR cards’, which is just one way of using the technology in games. Each card has a black and white pattern on it (simpler than a QR code but very similar) that the game software would recognise and then display something, like a character, a vehicle, etc. With the Wonderbook, even the Playstation Move has been given an AR offering. There are a few limitations to AR cards – if you move the cards too fast or too far away from the camera, the images can be dropped, and of course you need to use the cards. As the technology advances and developers get more savvy, you can play AR games without the cards. These are just a small example of what’s out there.

AR doesn’t have to be visual. Zombies Run lets you experience a zombie apocalypse through your headphones. Based on your location, you will hear the haunting sounds of zombies and if you take a wrong turn, the sounds get louder. Every time you play, you contribute to your survival base and game stats. The Inception app is similar in that you plug your headphones in and experience something different depending on where you are, what time of day it is, and even how much ambient sound or light is around you.

With all that in mind, doesn’t it sound cool? The next step in AR will be interacting with the experiences. So perhaps you could create your own creatures in a game, choose where they might appear ‘in the wild’, upload the information and then other people can search out your creature. Or imagine a city guide made by its residents (yes, I do know that could go horribly wrong…). How about a map made by your loved ones, where they can leave messages for you to listen to when you walk past a significant location?

AR has great potential to unleash some creativity and perhaps convey some important messages.

The word ‘hacking’ usually conjures images of socially inept teenagers hidden away in their bedrooms, eyes glued to their softly glowing computer screens. So let me offer an alternative image, one that still includes a few computer bits but also embraces the average person who isn’t a code genius. Imagine that hacking isn’t about breaking in to advanced computer security systems but re-purposing something that already exists. Breaking something apart and putting it back together in a totally new way, to do something different.

That might be stretching the definition a bit but stay with me on this. My first two examples are very much hands-on. I’ll start with Makey Makey. Successfully funded via Kickstarter, this clever bit of kit is now available commercially (although it is coming from the US so there’s a hefty shipping fee) and allows you to make an input device out of pretty much anything.

Even a banana? Yes, a banana. What about a drawing? Yup, a drawing too. Even a- YES! ANYTHING!

It’s also very user friendly in that all the mind-bending code has been sorted for you. Plug in, attach your input, and use it. Their website has the fullest example of uses, compatible software and materials but a great way to discover is just to play with it.

Next, we have Makedo. These funky little doodads are available in the UK and come as ‘free play’ kits or ‘guided’ kits, where you have a set project to work with, i.e. a robot. Marketed at kids and schools, I know many an adult that would love this in their personal toy box too. Much like Makey Makey, the fun is in the exploring and seeing how things work and what they do. Anyone want to make GIANT jointed cardboard monsters? Just me?

What I like about these pieces of kit is the encouragement. If given something like this to play with, who wouldn’t? Even the most dry of bankers might enjoy constructing their own cardboard kingdom or creating a musical staircase. Its accessible. It encourages people to explore their world and its boundaries.

Onto some real hacking now. Arduino is an open-source project that encompasses software and hardware and is designed specifically for creating interactivity. Varying degrees of code knowledge is required but the community surrounding Arduino is generally very helpful. This is a cracking article about just a handful of uses for the platform, care of Computer Arts.

Got a sweet tooth? Then Raspberry Pi might be more your flavour. Developed as a means to bring computing and programming to kids of the world, the capable little machine has found itself being used for all sorts of mischief and prototyping. I’ve not had enough experience with it myself to accurately say what it can do but this is a great article with examples. The first person to build me an arcade cabinet with a Raspberry Pi will get a life time supply of home-made cakes (and my baking ROCKS!).

Whilst Arduino and Raspberry Pi might require more knowledge, they might provide more potential for playfulness, especially as we are living in a digital age. Buddy up to the geek in your life, gather some bright minds, and see what you can do with it

Okay, so this post is incredibly well timed as I watch huge fluffy flakes of snow fall outside. It also has some very useful bits and bobs for winter in general. Knock yourself out! (Don’t knock out any windows with snowballs though. Bad bad snowballs)

When It Snows

• make a snowman
• catch a snowflake on your tongue
• look at a snowflake through a magnifying glass
• make snow angels
• go sledging
• have a snowball fight (in a very open area!)

Sun Worshiping
If you’re brave, get up about 30-45 mins before sun rise and watch it on the horizon. Watch it set on the same day.

Look After Wildlife
Its no surprise that any sudden weather changes can affect wildlife. Most animals will have braced themselves for winter but those that don’t migrate or sleep will need some help. Pop down to your local canal or pond and feed the ducks. Bread, stale buns, fruit, and seeds are fab, as is proper ‘duck food’ from a pet shop. If you have a garden and a bird table, put out some grub for the little fellas! Kitchen scraps are always good as well as good quality bird seed and mixes. Keep the tables and feeders clean. EDIT: There’s now a recipe for a ‘fat cake’ for birds over here!

Its Brrrrrrracing!
This is not for the faint of heart. If you live near the coast, go for a refreshing dip in the sea. No, I haven’t gone loopy. You’ll be surprised. The sea retains a lot of energy from the summer sun so it will feel warmer than the brisk winter air. If you’re a wuss, like me, go for a swim in a swimming pool instead

Did you make some New Year resolutions? Did they include getting fitter, drinking less, giving up smoking, learning something new? How about being more playful? Smiling more? Going on an adventure? Aww, no? Really? You’re missing out!

2012 marked the start of Playful Leeds with the first event in a chilly January. We all gathered in Leeds City Museum, adults and kids alike, and basically ran amok with all sorts of building material as we designed our ideal den. From there we jumped to March when it was time to learn a thing or two from Scott Burnham and then turn our giddy gaze toward the streets of Leeds as we let loose our urban mischief. After that was our alliance with ASDA and our adventures around Leeds as we mapped unused playful opportunities around the city. People donned their thinking caps to then develop a project pitch, using the skills of the kind folk at ASDA and pairing them to an idea from an attendee. The last event of the year was Playspace Without Borders, perhaps the best event so far in terms of scope and commitment. Real ideas with real potential and grounding. People were asked to make these playful pledges, to do what they could to make these ideas a reality for the new year and beyond.

So, that’s a round-up of 2012 in play. I have a notion of whats in store for 2013 and its going to be a good’un I can give you a teeny hint perhaps…beep-boop-beep-beeeeep-ZAP!

As for playful resolutions, here are a few to get you started;

- Join at least one ‘creative’ club. Stay open-minded about this too, you never know what ideas may come up or where inspiration strikes.
- Return to your childhood. Think of a game or activity you used to do a lot as a kid, and then grew out of. Re-invent it for adults.
- Start little and often. Being more playful doesn’t mean suddenly organising the best all-inclusive event. Start small, make sure you don’t step on toes, and enjoy it.
- Speak up! If you have ideas, show them to people. Get the ball rolling. If you don’t know where to start or who to contact, someone else might.
- Make someone smile. Need I say more?

Ever wandered through town on a quiet, empty day and wanted to walk along raised planters, pretending to be a tight-rope walker? Or even challenging yourself to stay aloft? Just me then? Well, let me tell you – its awesome.

‘Play’, and being ‘playful,’ is a bit of a tricky term. On the surface, its a simple word associated heavily with childhood and games, but most adults seem embarrassed to indulge in play (outside of playing ‘adult games’ that is). The problem with play in an adult world is that it appears frivolous. At a time when everyone is stressed to the eye-balls trying to juggle bills and keep their jobs, anything designed to be playful is seen as a non-essential.

But play can be very helpful for those who need a little lift.

Psychology Today offers a very in depth analysis of ‘play’ and its differences for children compared to adults. It all got a bit too much for my attention-wandering brain, so I shall try to sum up:

play is a state of mind more than a physical action; play can be in varying degrees, from purest play as a child to play blending with other motives as an adult; and finally, play can not be neatly defined by a single characteristic. However, they took a stab at a definition and came up with these five points:

- play is self-chosen and self-directed, an expression of freedom, and players have the choice of quitting
- play is activity where the means have more value than the ends
- play has rules ands structure that come from the minds of the players
- play is imaginative, or at least somehow removed from ‘real life’
- play involves an alert, active but non-stressed frame of mind

What do you think? Seems fairly inclusive of kids and adults alike. How about a definition from the Oxford English Dictionary:

verb, engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose

…thats a bit rubbish, isn’t it? I agree that play is for enjoyment and recreation but there can be a practical or serious use for it. How do you think most kids start learning about the world? And you’d be surprised – its probably the best way to keep learning, even as adults. My personal definition of play is a strange mix of exploration and imagination, making both as wide as possible to include anything I might get up to. Drawing on outdoor walls is like bringing characters to life, inviting comment and stories from all who see them, and encouraging others to do the same.

For a brilliant discussion about what play is and its importance, you should check out this TED talk by Stuart Brown. Its four years old but is as relevant today as it was then. There are some startling tales, like that of the polar bear and husky, two animals who would normally attack on sight, enjoying some rough and tumble. A universal language of play. There is also the harrowing tale of an adult who was deprived of play as a child and became a murderer.

So why is play important for adults?

Its a great stress-buster for a start. They say doing exercise is great for releasing endorphins but if you’re anything like me you don’t find heaving and sweating at machinery all that appealing. Send me on a treasure hunt in the countryside however and you can get me to stay out all day. And how often do you see a gym visit being social and friendly? The very informality of play is its strength and has the power to unite complete strangers in the same task. There are adult playgroups in London where the whole point is to turn up and run around like a loon – because there are no other outlets. Well, no socially acceptable outlets.

Play doesn’t even have to be linked to a physical act. As mentioned earlier, its an attitude. You can apply it to nearly anything in degrees, from the downright silly to the mildly amusing. The next time you have to do a stock-take of stationery (a most thankless task), see what you can make from paperclips. You’ll smile all day after you’ve made your first robot dog.

Play is not about that slightly fluffy saying of ‘connecting with your inner child’ – its about allowing yourself to enjoy something. And if the mental and social benefits of play isn’t enough for you, its great for the creative part of the brain. Some of the most successful artists and writers are those who have never let go of their desire to push the boundaries of their reality, explore the deepest darkest depths of imagination…sounds like play to me.

Who said play was just for kids?