Meaning-making + Play

Arlo Howard 

(they/them)

WORKSHOP
PART 1: WED, JAN 3 | 9 AM - 11 AM
PART 2: THURS, JAN 4 | 9 AM - 11 AM
Ideation Studio

SUMMIT
SUN, JAN 7 | 4:30 PM - 6 PM
Ideation Studio (MIX 108)




Meaning-making + Play is an active, generative workshop. Throughout the workshop participants will work in small groups being walked through a rapid prototyping workshop. There will be focus on creating games/playful-interactions that connect to a specific meaning or topic. Through a series of playtest we will explore how to put your purpose and the center of the gameplay you are creating.

During the workshop days "Meaning-making + Play" will take place across two session. In the first session we will focus on creating short form games. In the second session, we will continue to develop the games from the first session. Here we will delve into the elements that surround game-play. We'll look at on-boarding, the theatricality surrounding play and how we 'cast' our players. We will explore how these element can affect how players encounter the game and how they can feed into our meaning-making goals. Those who can only join the second session will join an existing group.

On the weekend, we will have a shortened version of the first session of this workshop. There will be less time for play testing and iteration but still cover the core ideas around meaning-making and play.