Art of Play: Exploring the roles of technology and social play in museums

Isabel Cristina G. Froes, Kevin Walker

    Research output: Conference Article in Proceeding or Book/Report chapterBook chapterEducationpeer-review

    Abstract

    Play is a key element in cultural development, according to the Dutch historian Johan Huizinga.
    Nowadays many of us interact with other people in online games and social networks, through multiple
    digital devices. But harnessing playful activities for museum learning is mostly undeveloped. In this
    chapter we explore play as a structure to support visitor learning, drawing from international research in
    museums and interaction design. Specifically, we explore four aspects of play first proposed by Huizinga
    (2002) — the ‘free-choice’ aspect of play, play as distinct from ‘real life,’ play as an ordering structure, and
    the role of play in bridging communities. We argue that play provides museums with ready-made
    structures and concepts which help them plan for visitor learning.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationMuseums at Play : Games, Interaction and Learning
    EditorsKaty Beale
    Number of pages13
    Place of PublicationEdinburgh
    PublisherMuseumsEtc
    Publication date2011
    Pages486-499
    ChapterTheory and Innovation
    ISBN (Print)978-1-907697-13-5
    Publication statusPublished - 2011

    Keywords

    • Cultural Development
    • Playful Learning
    • Museum Interaction
    • Digital Devices in Play
    • Visitor Engagement

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