PLAY!: sound toys for the non musical
Dominic Robson · 2001
The theme we have chosen for discussion in this paper is the theme of “play”. We feel that one of play is one of the most affordable ways of learning. Children often adopt this approach to learning. As we grow older we seem to disregard this method of learning. We wish to create a device that makes learning and exploration of that device fun. My new design motto is “to encourage play”. Words of wisdom “I think one of the reasons why games have led the way in interaction design in some respects is because the objective is to have fun. There’s not a productive outcome, so all the seriousness that we bring to work is not present in the design of these things.” Brenda Laurel, 2001 “One of the first precepts of Electronic Arts, that interactive entertainment was going to be as big as traditional music and video entertainment, was driven by our belief that “play ” is a core human value; even a core mammalian value. We used an analogy that lion cubs learn to hunt and fight by playing together” Importance of play Bing Gordon, cofounder of Electronic Arts In experimental music in 1958 John Cage talks about the importance of play and describes play as “a way of waking up to the very life we’re living”. As we grow up the activity of play which as children allowed us to explore and understand the world can become lost [1]. With the greater availability of recorded music we are left with a more convenient but more passive way of enjoying music. Interfacing the key to play The mouse is capable of doing just a few things which leaves the user with few degrees of freedom; the commands are all done with too few physical gestures [2]. With a musical instrument the user has many more degrees of freedom. A violinist uses a broad range of physical gestures and choosing from a huge range of bowing pressures, pitch choices and so on. Making people play together, the phrase evokes visions of one of the highest forms of social expression [1].