Small analysis of childrens outdoorgame "mirror" in the Games and Storytelling (Emma Westecott) workshop in Tampere 2007.

1. The Mirror (Peili)
Annakaisa Kultima
Games and Storytelling Workshop in Tampere 2007
(Emma Westecott)

2. The Mirror (Peili)
- You pick someone being “the mirror”
- “The mirror” stands facing the wall
- others will go to the line next to the wall
(that is defined by the group)
and tries to approach the mirror
- The mirror can turn whenever she/he wants
- If “The mirror” sees you moving,
you have to start from the beginning line again.
- If somebody can touch the Mirror before
the Mirror sees you and claims that
she/he saw you moving,
that one gets to be the next mirror
(and the game starts from the beginning again)
Annakaisa Kultima

3. The Structure:
- The game begins from the agreements of the rules
- Or it begins when everybody is on their places...
- The play ...
- It ends when people are too tired to play anymore
- Or when everybody has their turn on being the Mirror
(claiming for others to play until you are satisfied)
The Rules
- Rules are quite fixed but there can be negociation
about the interpretations, since:
- It is hard to actually say if Mirror saw you moving
- “my word against yours”
- and maybe thats the point
- Messages of “this is play”
- “Let’s play the Mirror!”
- “Yeah, let’s!” (verbal explication, verbal agreement)
- The form
you don’t normally stand in front of the wall
and tell people to back of if you see them moving...
(context reference?)
Annakaisa Kultima

4. The play experience
For the movers
- similar pleasures than in the Hide and Seek
- anticipating the turns
- controlling your body movements
- being percieved
- cheating
- grief play
- social pleasure
For the mirror
- the illusion of people progressing without movement
- everybody watching you, coming to you
- being percieved
more pleasure for the mirror / or equally distributed?
Annakaisa Kultima