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I received my MFA in Design and Technology from Parsons the New School for Design in 2003. The focus of my course
of study there was play and game design for children.
My thesis, shown in the Parsons Gallery in June 2003, was titled
The Projected Playscape: Enabling Traditional Play in a Novel Environment with Computer Vision and Projection Technology. That's
quite a mouthful for what amounted to an interactive projection on the floor with emergent rules and behaviors to be discovered by players and designed
to encourage them to make up little games based on learning those rulesets. Needless to say, my heart was broken
when I saw similar floors pop up in Toys 'r Us near the end of my process. I learned a lot, though, and The Projected Playscape
marks the beginning of my
focused interest in traditional games and play in the "real world."
I still cannot believe that it actually sort of worked. And I programmed it!
Thesis Abstract:
While the rich childhood traditions of social games like hopscotch, marbles, and tag are far from being lost, they are slowly fading in
lieu of indoor, sedentary video games. The Projected Playscape is a new kind of play space where children can create and play new
full-body games that provide natural social lessons similar to those experienced during traditional children's games like Capture the Flag or
Four Square. Its development and realization react to the inflexibility of many digital games and play environments. Integrating physical
structures, computer vision, projection technology, and responsive audio and visual elements, The Projected Playscape invites children
(and adults!) to explore, imagine, and play.
Acknowledgements, Abstract, and Table of Contents
Thesis Site (warning: it's messy!)
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