Meaningful play
Aaron Scott · 2014
Meaningful play is intended to be activity or action driven with emphasis on the experience rather than the object or game. Meaningful play takes place in the overlapping area where playification and play related artifacts come together to form a system. In order for meaning to be created, clear rules for action and a way to concentrate and become involved must be established. Playcentric research methods afford the ability to identify the relationships between playful experiences, personality traits, and human values. This understanding enhances a model of playful engagements that, on the design side, can be used for design inspiration and to validate design decisions. Playcentric processes enable the design researcher to discover meaning, understand norms, observe reality, identify obstacles and barriers, address users’ needs, provide analysis of the problem, and guide the evaluation of the resulting design. In playcentric participatory ethnography the practitioner is seeking actionable insights that develop as a result from playful experiences.