Core Experience by Doris C. Rusch - FROG2011
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The document discusses designing exercise games that explore the symbolic and experiential aspects of physical play. It argues that current games focus too much on simulating real-world sports, which ignores the mind-body connection and symbolic potential. An alternative approach is proposed that uses physical activities as metaphors for emotional concepts. An example concept called "Zombie Yoga" is described where yoga poses map to abilities that help overcome an internalized fear represented by a zombie infection. The goal is to design games that integrate both the physical and mental experience of an activity to more fully engage players.
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Core Experience by Doris C. Rusch - FROG2011
- 1. “Core” Experience exploring less obvious design approaches to exercise games Dr. Doris C. Rusch, DePaul University: FROG 2011 Monday, November 7, 2011
- 2. goal: designing possibility spaces for playful explorations of the human condition + Monday, November 7, 2011
- 3. depression addiction love Monday, November 7, 2011
- 4. Monday, November 7, 2011
- 5. “physical play”: the first and most immediate form of play “the playful child is the physical child” (Lucia Capacchione: “Recovery of Your Inner Child”) Monday, November 7, 2011
- 6. + how can we leverage physical play to explore the human condition? Monday, November 7, 2011
- 7. games as possibility spaces Monday, November 7, 2011
- 8. aiming for more and more fictional immersion Monday, November 7, 2011
- 9. kinaesthetic mimicry: blurring the boundaries Monday, November 7, 2011
- 10. holy grail: immediacy Monday, November 7, 2011
- 11. achievement unlocked? Monday, November 7, 2011
- 12. which “fiction” fits the technology? Monday, November 7, 2011
- 13. simulating sports activities; sports metaphors Monday, November 7, 2011
- 14. my quibble • conceptually dull • extreme focus on physical concepts • ignore symbolical aspects of physical play Monday, November 7, 2011
- 15. in defense of current exercise games • some are great fun • they may offer added value: feedback, instruction, motivation. • some fictions are really cool and enable experiences not easy to have in real life. • they are good for videogame’s reputation . Monday, November 7, 2011
- 16. BUT: Monday, November 7, 2011
- 17. why shouldn’t we explore less obvious design approaches to exercise games? what could an alternative to the simulation approach look like? Monday, November 7, 2011
- 18. it starts by asking: what is thesymbolical potential of “physical play”? Monday, November 7, 2011
- 19. what is the experiential “core” of a physical activity? Monday, November 7, 2011
- 20. mind - body connection: body: lifting physical, tangible weight mind: feeling capable of handling the burden (of whatever life throws at us) Monday, November 7, 2011
- 21. body: coordinated movement, timing mind: an exercise in trust and letting go Monday, November 7, 2011
- 22. body: efficiency and speed mind: “owning” territory, empowerment to overcome (mental / emotional) obstacles Monday, November 7, 2011
- 23. “exploring one’s body equates exploring one’s psyche” (Santiago, 2001, p.6) Monday, November 7, 2011
- 24. the body goes through the motions. the mind provides the metaphors that make the motions meaningful. to enable meaningful, physical play, exercise games could tap into these metaphors. Monday, November 7, 2011
- 25. why does the simulation of real-life physical activity not do the trick? Monday, November 7, 2011
- 26. • because in exercise games, your attention is bound by whatever happens on screen. • the mind is busy buying into the sports metaphor and not free to focus on the images and associations that usually come up during a work-out. • the provided sports metaphors are not terribly insightful. Monday, November 7, 2011
- 27. for an alternative approach, rethink metaphors for exercise games. let them be informed by the symbolical potential of physical activities. Monday, November 7, 2011
- 28. example: “Zombie Yoga” (for Xbox Kinect) Monday, November 7, 2011
- 29. abstract concept: Fear Monday, November 7, 2011
- 30. physical activity: yoga Monday, November 7, 2011
- 31. you find yourself in the middle of a Zombie outbreak Monday, November 7, 2011
- 32. you have been bitten and the infection is slowly spreading inside you. Monday, November 7, 2011
- 33. • you need to find a cure before you turn into a Zombie!! • every renewed contact with Zombies speeds up infection. • you can fight, but aggressive behavior increases infection speed. • you have to overcome your fears to win the game. Monday, November 7, 2011
- 34. become a warrior of light! • each yoga pose you do has a particular effect in the game. • e.g. warrior I: build protective light bubble around you • warrior II: part the horde Monday, November 7, 2011
- 35. stand in tadasana warrior I to freeze Zombies subway takes a turn Zombies get thrown to one side, but you are perfectly still in tree pose. Monday, November 7, 2011
- 36. heal through light meditation Monday, November 7, 2011
- 37. the world in “Zombie Yoga” is an emotional landscape filled with fear, represented by Zombies. fear is also internal, represented by the infection. Monday, November 7, 2011
- 38. by learning to deal with and command the externalized fear, the inner fear (infection) is healed. The yoga poses are translated into gameplay verbs that (mostly) represent the intended inner effects of these poses. Monday, November 7, 2011
- 39. Monday, November 7, 2011
- 40. sum up • the “core” experience of physical play integrates mind and body • exercise games focus on the body • conceptual potential remains untapped • include the mind, explore emotional metaphors Monday, November 7, 2011
- 41. thanks! questions? drusch1@cdm.depaul.edu Monday, November 7, 2011