play

The Ludic Spirit Players

by
Cards The Ludic Spirit Players

I appreciate a well-structured typology, but only if I find it useful. So, it was a bit of a battle to justify yet another one to myself. But I managed, and so I present the Ludic Spirit Players!

Based largely on observation of my own kids over the last 16 years, as well as other work in the field of play by those such as Bernard Suits and Bob Hughes, these “types” are specific to the way I am forming this Ludic Spirit stuff and Play – not Games or Gamification, so it is not an all-encompassing list of play types or types of player!

Also, keep in mind; that no one is one type in any taxonomy; they are often all types in different measures at different times. These are just lenses for you to look through when building playful solutions to help answer the question “Will this resonate with XYZ” or “What is in it for XYZ.”

Of course, there is a little bit of RAMP in here – I mentioned that in a previous post; I’ll let you figure out the connections though 😊

Play vs Games

Very quickly, I want to offer a quick way for you to see how I separate games from play. Play is freeform and has very few system-based rules. In other words, play is engaged in for the sake of joy and play. Games, on the other hand, are more rule-based; there are set goals and rules that hinder your ability to hit those goals.

As a simple example: You are playing with a ball, just enjoying the movement and practising tricks. You are playing for the sake of play. Your friend comes over, throws his jumper and coat on the ground, makes a set of goals, and shouts – “Come on, see if you can get one past me and score.” Suddenly there is a system rule in place. You need to score a goal. You are no longer playing for the sake of play; you are playing for the sake of the game. It is still intrinsically enjoyable, but the rule of “You need to get the ball in the goal” makes it more of a game.

With that out of the way, this is where I have ended up so far. As ever with my work, there is a chance it will evolve as I use it more and understand it more.

The Adventurer
The Creator
The Anarchist
The Actor
Back
The Learner

The Players

Adventurer

The adventurer is all about experiences and pushing the boundaries. They play to discover, driven by curiosity and a desire to explore their world. They are the sort of person who asks “Why” a lot or “What if.” They are the sort of person who climbs a mountain just to discover what is at the top or push the red button just to find out what it does – despite any potential consequences. To thrive, they need to be able to explore and discover at their own pace.

Creator

Creators like to make things. Sounds obvious, but it is not just about building with bricks (though they probably love LEGO). It could be anything, from building new worlds in their imagination to painting to creating characters. Their joy comes from the creative in all of its forms. If you think about it in terms of The Sims, they would want to create the world that the Sims lived in but would be far less interested in what the Sims did in it. They will often spend hours setting up a scenario, and then let others play it out. In a game of Dungeons and Dragons, they are far more likely to enjoy being the dungeon master than an Elf in the game!

Actor

An actor is a bit like the missing piece when you look at the Creator. They are the players who will act out the creations of the Creator, be it the characters or within the worlds and scenarios the Creator has built. They are interested in imaginative play, but more from a role-play perspective than a building perspective. They will bring life to a character and love to “act” and play with others to live out new fantasy worlds.

Learner

The learner, unsurprisingly, plays to learn. There can be many ways in which they will use play, be it practising a movement until they feel it is perfect, to working with others (or against others) to increase their own personal skill levels. It is all about self-improvement. A simple example would be playing with a YoYo. They will initially play by themselves, learning how to get it to go up and down. Then, they may play with others, learning new tricks from them. Then, to challenge themselves to improve or to test their current skill level, they may compete. All of this helps them to continue to learn and cement their skills. Ultimately, though, they are playing with the YoYo because they find it intrinsically enjoyable.

Anarchist

My daughter looked at this list and said, “But what about those kids who are just chaotic?” I asked her to explain. “There are kids at my school who enjoy just destroying things or upsetting people. If it was a game, I would call them Griefers, but I think in your thing here it may be Chaos player or maybe Anarchist.” She is 11 and far brighter than I will ever be! As I looked into it, sure enough, there are the anarchists, people who get intrinsic joy from disrupting everything. In my HEXAD, they are, of course, the disruptors. Here, the Anarchist is a little different. They just don’t want to be constrained by the rules of society and norms, let alone the rules of games. So they do the unexpected. They are the ones who when playing Rock, Paper, Scissors introduce Bazooka!

They are not inherently bad; they are just a bit chaotic! Remember the kid who would build a tower, just to smash it over his head? That said, there was always the one that would just enjoy smashing other kids’ sandcastles – so handle them with care. Not all that dissimilar to Adventurers, but slightly different motivations.

Ludic Spirit Players

There is a lot of crossover here, as I say – people don’t fit into neat categories. For instance, there is a Venn diagram where the Creator and Actor cross over to become Observer. Where they set up the fantasy world and then enjoy watching the characters they have helped create playout their own story (Think Sims). But that is a tale for another day.

Until then, I hope this is useful or at least interesting and do let me know what you think!

What Is The Opposite of Play?

by

Play is a fundamental human need that brings joy, creativity, and learning to our lives. Play can also help us cope with stress, improve our mental health, and enhance our social skills. But what happens when we don’t play enough? What is the opposite of play, and how does it affect us?

Some might think that the opposite of play is work, but that’s not necessarily true. Work can be playful, engaging, and meaningful if it aligns with our values, interests, and strengths. Work can also provide us with a sense of purpose, achievement, and belonging. However, work can also be boring, stressful, and unfulfilling if it doesn’t match our needs, preferences, and goals. Work can also take over our lives and leave us with little time or energy for play.

So, the opposite of play is not work per se, but rather boredom. Boredom is an emotional state characterized by feeling unstimulated, unfocused, and restless, yet lacking the desire to engage. Or in short — boredom exists when we are mentally idle.

Boredom

Boredom can occur in any situation where we feel trapped, constrained, or disinterested. Boredom can also occur when we have too much or too little to do, when we lack challenge or variety, or when we don’t see the value or meaning of our actions. Boredom can happen at home, at school, or at work.

Boredom at work is a common and serious problem that affects millions of workers around the world. Boredom at work is also known as boreout, a term coined by Swiss business consultants Philippe Rothlin and Peter Werder in their 2007 book “Diagnose Boreout“. Boreout is the opposite of burnout, which is caused by too much stress and pressure at work. Boreout is caused by too little stimulation and motivation at work.

Boreout can have negative consequences for both individuals and organizations. Boreout can lead to:

  • Depression: Boredom and depression are often linked, but not always related. Boredom can be a factor in the development or worsening of depression, especially when it is chronic, existential, or apathetic. Depression can also cause a constant feeling of boredom that won’t go away with new stimulation. However, boredom is not always a negative feeling and can be resolved by finding new challenges or interests.
  • Anxiety: Boreout can increase anxiety levels, especially when managing stressful situations or thinking about work when away from the job. Anxiety can also make boredom worse by reducing attention span and interest in activities. Anxiety can also interfere with sleep quality and mood regulation.
  • Stress: Boreout can cause stress by creating a mismatch between the demands and resources of the job. Stress can also result from hiding boredom from others or pretending to be busy. Stress can affect physical and mental health by impairing immune system function, increasing blood pressure, and triggering inflammation.
  • Insomnia: Boreout can cause insomnia by disrupting the circadian rhythm and reducing melatonin production. Insomnia can also exacerbate boredom by impairing cognitive function and emotional regulation. Insomnia can also increase the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.
  • Lost productivity: Boreout can reduce productivity by lowering performance, quality, and efficiency. Boreout can also lead to absenteeism, presenteeism (being physically present but mentally absent), and turnover. Boreout can also increase substance use as a way of coping or escaping.
  • Counterproductive work behavior: Boreout can increase counterproductive work behavior such as sabotage, theft, gossiping, cyberloafing (using the internet for personal purposes during work hours), or whistleblowing (exposing wrongdoing within an organization). Counterproductive work behavior can harm the reputation, morale, and profitability of an organization.

Fixing “Boreout”

Boreout is a serious issue that needs to be addressed by both employers and employees. Employers can prevent or reduce boreout by:

  • Providing meaningful work: Employers should ensure that employees have clear goals, feedback, and recognition for their work. Employers should also align employees’ work with their values, interests, and strengths. Employers should also create a positive work culture that fosters trust, autonomy, and collaboration.
  • Providing challenging work: Employers should ensure that employees have enough work to do, but not too much that they feel overwhelmed. Employers should also provide opportunities for learning, growth, and development. Employers should also encourage employees to take risks, experiment, and innovate.
  • Providing varied work: Employers should ensure that employees have diverse and stimulating tasks to do. Employers should also allow employees to rotate or switch roles or projects. Employers should also support employees’ hobbies and passions outside of work.

Employees can cope with or overcome boreout by:

  • Seeking new challenges: Employees should look for ways to improve their skills, knowledge, or performance at work. Employees should also seek feedback and guidance from their managers or mentors. Employees should also set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals for themselves.
  • Seeking new interests: Employees should explore new hobbies, activities, or causes that spark their curiosity and passion. Employees should also join clubs, groups, or communities that share their interests. Employees should also volunteer for causes that they care about.
  • Seeking professional help: Employees should seek professional help if they experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, or substance use that interfere with their daily functioning. Employees should also seek professional help if they feel suicidal or hopeless. Employees should also seek professional help if they face discrimination, harassment, or abuse at work.

Play is not only fun, but also essential for our well-being. Play can help us cope with boredom, depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, and other negative emotions. Play can also help us improve our productivity, creativity, and social skills. Play can also help us find meaning and purpose in our lives. So, let’s play more and bore less!

References

The 8 Pillars of Playful Design

by

I’ve messed around with formalising a way to introduce play into experiences in the past, but this is the first time I have tried to plot out the key features of playful experiences in a way that becomes replicable in some way.

First, it is really important to understand what I mean by Play and Playful!

8 pillars of playful design

Play

Play is free form and unlike a game does not need to have a point or a goal to it. It exists within a set of rules created by the person or people playing and is born in the imagination.  Often it is a way of exploring the boundaries and extremes of something, in search of new and novel experiences.  It is undertaken for its own sake often for fun and joy. To quote myself (!!)

play is a free-form activity that is undertaken because it brings fun and joy [13]

This is, as I say in the book, similar to Johan Huizinga’s description in Homo Ludens, where play is an activity. [5]

Playful

Playful refers to an attitude or intent in the design, one that offers freedom and safety. It requires this lack of explicit rules, but with the addition of a safety net that encourages failure and exploration.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the 8 Pillars of Playful Design that I consider when looking at these kinds of experiences.

The Pillars

Exploration:

Exploration is a fundamental part of playful experiences, allowing users to discover new things in their own unique way. From a design perspective, offering open-ended activities that allow users to experiment and discover new possibilities can emphasize exploration. This approach helps users to develop a sense of agency and control over the experience, increasing their enjoyment and engagement. Providing a sense of discovery, such as through hidden elements or unexpected outcomes, can also add to the excitement of the experience. [1][2][3]

Creativity:

Playful experiences should encourage users to use their imaginations and be creative. This can involve providing tools, resources, or activities that allow users to create and express themselves. Furthermore, playful experiences can foster the development of creative thinking skills, such as problem-solving and innovation. [4][5][6]

Agency:

Unlike games, playful experiences should not have strict rules or be overly structured. Instead, they should offer an open-ended and flexible experience that allows users to explore and experiment in their own way. The lack of structure fosters a sense of discovery and experimentation and allows users to approach the experience in their unique way. Providing a level of unpredictability, such as through random elements or unanticipated outcomes, can also add to the excitement of the experience. [1][5][6]

Non-competitive:

Playful experiences should not focus on competition or winning, unlike games. Instead, the focus should be on exploration and creativity, creating a more inclusive and enjoyable experience for all users, regardless of their skill level or experience. Offering opportunities for collaboration and interaction with others can also enhance the non-competitive nature of the experience. [1][5][7]

Accessibility:

Playful experiences should be accessible to a wide range of users, regardless of their age, experience, or ability level. This can involve offering different levels of difficulty or making the experience easy to understand and use. Ensuring accessibility can increase the reach and impact of the experience and promote inclusivity and diversity. Making the experience easily accessible, such as through mobile devices or online platforms, can also enhance the user experience. [3][7]

Sensory Stimulation:

Playful experiences can stimulate multiple senses, such as sight, sound, touch, and smell, to create a more immersive and engaging experience. This enhances the user’s connection to the experience and increases their enjoyment and engagement. Incorporating multi-sensory elements, such as music, sound effects, and haptic feedback, can also create a more dynamic and immersive experience. [1][3]

Personalisation:

Designing the experience to allow personalisation, such as by choosing their avatar or selecting their preferences, can create a unique and individual experience for each user, increasing their sense of control and agency. Offering opportunities for customization and self-expression, such as through user-generated content, can also increase user engagement and motivation. Moreover, personalization can help create a stronger emotional connection between the user and the experience, as users are more likely to form attachments to things that are unique to them. [3][4]

Collaboration:

Collaboration can enhance any playful experience by adding a social dimension, making the experience more enjoyable and engaging. It can also increase user motivation and engagement, as users are more likely to be motivated when working towards a common goal with others. Additionally, collaboration can lead to a sense of community and shared experiences, as users work together and share their discoveries. [8][9][10]

What do you all think – have I missed anything here? How do you go about creating playful experiences?

References

[1] Koster, R. (2005). A theory of fun for game design. Paraglyph Press.

[2] Malone, T. W. (1981). What makes things fun to learn? Heuristics for designing instructional computer games. In Proceedings of the ACM SIGGRAPH conference on computer graphics (Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 272-279). ACM.

[3] Deterding, S. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining “gamification”. Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments, 9-15.

[4] Brown, J. S. (2009). Change by design: How design thinking transforms organizations and inspires innovation. Harper Business.

[5] Huizinga, J. (1938). Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play Element in Culture. Beacon Press.

[6] Sutton-Smith, B. (1997). The ambiguity of play. Harvard University Press.

[7] Rieber, L. P. (1996). Serious play: The role of games in education. Educational Technology Research and Development, 44(2), 43-58.

[8] Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. (2004). Rules of play: Game design fundamentals. The MIT Press.

[9] Steinkuehler, C. A. (2006). Massively multiplayer online gaming as participation in a discourse. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(4), 815-834.

[10] Peirce, C. S. (1931–1958). Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce (Vol. 1). Harvard University Press.

[11] Marczewski, A (2018). Even Ninja Monkeys Like to Play: Unicorn Edition, 18

Mischief Theatre and the Contract of Play

by

The last year or so has been pants to say the least. Personally it has taken a huge toll on my already dubious at times mental health! However, there has been one shining light since the later stages of 2020 – Mischief Movie Night In from Mischief Theatre.

Mischief Theatre is a group of very talented actors who are incredible improvisation performers. In the Movie Night In shows they take ideas from the internet and audience (Zoom and live when available) and create an improvised one hour movie. The story, characters, direction and even the music is all made up as the go along. I’ll be honest, I have never laughed as much in my life as I have at some of these shows!

As I watched more and more of the live shows, I realised something that had never occured to me. They are playing! Whilst there are loose rules around plot, they are just doing what comes naturally, creating dynamically changing meta rules as they create new characters and new narrative strands.

They all know why they are there and they all feel safe to try new ideas, even if they go horribly wrong. To facilitate that, they all trust each other and leave their egos at the door, knowing that whilst it is all in fun – mistakes will be mercilessly used to generate laughs! Again though, they all understand that – it is part of lusory attitude, it’s part of the contract of play they unconsciously sign as they enter the theatre.

Now there is a new phrase to throw in.

The Contract of Play

This is the crux of what I learned from them, a simple set of unwritten rules that they all seem to adhere to in order to perform the way they do – something I think we need to bring into all gamification and actually – all work in general!

  1. Leave your ego at the door
    • There is no room for ego in day to day working life. We all need to work together to create the best outcomes – especially as we move more towards blended approaches to office and home working.
  2. Be Trustworthy
    • For play to work, you must trust those around you – to be able to do that, you yourself must be trustworthy.
  3. Be Respectful
    • It is all meant to feel safe and fun for everyone. Don’t make it personal and respect those around you.
  4. Have a Lusory Attitude
    • To be able to play, you must accept that you are there to play and that you are in a playful mindset when you begin.

I am sure you can add more rules than that, but I think that is a good start!

Remember, profesional play is meant to be safe, but productive!

 

Why “undo” is critical to ludic design

by

Ludic, or playful design, involves designing products or experiences through the lens of play. How do you make people feel safe to explore, encourage experimentation and even add some fun?

A while back I introduced my Play Framework, so you can find out more there, but essentially it’s all about creating an environment that focuses on Trust, Safety, Autonomy, Dynamic Goals and Lusory Attitude (that is you approach the experience with a playful attitude).

So where does the undo function in a bit of software like Word come into this, how is that helping with ludic design? Feelin safe is all about not fearing failure. If something goes wrong, you need to feel that it is possible to recover. If you fall over, you should know you can get up and try again – see where this is going?

The undo feature does exactly this. If you make a mistake in Word, just undo it. Got the function wrong in Excel? Undo it. Messed up your image in Photoshop? Undo, undo, undo, undo!!!

Being able to undo your last action, or actions means that you get to feel safe to explore and to experiment as much as you like. Not being scared of making mistakes can really help to get the creative juices!

So when you are designing a solution, see how you can include a way to take back the last actions a user has made, make them feel safe and secure that failure is not a bad thing!

Exit mobile version