Makin' Cake: Provocation, self-confrontation and the opacity of play

Players can do the most extraordinary things in games without raising an eyebrow. Here, three specific questions are discussed: What do objects and actions in games mean? How are these meanings constructed? By and for whom? It is argued that players most naturally understand and know perfectly well what their actions in games mean and how they relate to everyday life: Actions in play are blank, and mean nothing. Meaning is only created within play, in a fluid, dynamic, and collaborative process, over time, based on an implicit understanding and shared practice. Meaning is not seen as abstract truth and values, for all times and across all cultures, but relative: something gains meaning for somebody, in a particular situation and context. The interactive installation Makin’ Cake demonstrates the issue of the meaning of play activities within and without play by providing an immediate and provocative experience to players and spectators.