Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor

Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor

Steven MallietThomas Laureyssens

University College of Limburg - MAD FacultyResearch Group 'Play & Game'

Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor

Context: 'Play' Module Master 'Communication & Multimedia Design' Design + implementation of game application in a

public space context Students:

– Avid gamers

– Inexperienced game designers

– 85% male, 22-25 years old

Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor

Context: workfloor of TexOkazi Textile sorting centre Government-funding to support social integration of

socio-economically vulnerable persons Target group:

– Very little experience with games

– 75% female; 72% 40-50 years old

– Different ethnic origins, subgroup formation

Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor

Context: collaboration with Streetwize VZW Streetwize and the philosophy of guerilla design:

bringing education 'to the streets' Design principles:

– Low learning treshold

– Absence of teacher model Goal of the module: to develop games to be used on

the workfloor, aiming to stimulate social contact and cultural integration among laborers of TexOkazi

Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor

Process Paper prototyping:

– Expert evaluations by Streetwize VZW

– User evaluations by laborers of TexOkazi Iterative prototype design (2 iterations)

– Expert evaluations by Streetwize VZW

– User evaluations by laborers of TexOkazi

Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor

Process Struggle between

– Desire of students to create game mechanics based upon games they love

– Negative evaluations of such game mechanics by both expert group and user group

Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor

Process Resulting prototypes

– Casual games and/or playful applications for public space

– Connection with laborers' personal lives / culture more important than innovative game concept

– Importance of creating a 'serious' experience

Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor

TexOkazi Avatar: Clothing trade game

Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor

TexOkazi Fooz: Collaborative AR ball game

Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor

PhotOkazi: collection of real-life objects for picture moment.

Designing Games to Improve Social Interactions on the Work Floor

Jukazi: Coin-game operated digital Jukebox