Physical Play And Children S Digital Games

Play engages humans cognitively, emotionally, and physically at all ages. Using a historical framework, and focusing on play as represented by material artifacts such as toys and games, this book explores play as a form of somatic engagement that reflects cultural attitudes about development and learning as these have evolved over time in western culture. Theorists in the twentieth century such as Klein and Winnicott, Huizinga and Callois, Piaget, Bruner and Vygotsy brought different perspectives to our understanding of play’s role in our society. In particular, Vygotsky’s theories about process provide insight into how children attend to learning and assimilate new information. The increasing use of digital media as both an entertainment and learning environment at ever-younger ages, is generating new discussions about the nature and value of play in children’s development, in particular, physical, or somatic play. The emphasis on games intended for children necessitates a discussion of the cognitive, behavioral, and neuroscience that supports play activities and physical engagement as a crucial aspect of development. The book then looks at the trajectory of digital games in contemporary culture and explores whether these artifacts (whether intended for learning or entertainment) have extended or are curtailing boundaries of somatic engagement. Finally, the book discusses alternative play and game design and, speculates on the future of new media play artifacts.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 9th Joint International Conference on Serious Games, JCSG 2023, held in Dublin, Ireland, during October 26–27, 2023. The 18 full papers presented together with 9 short papers and 14 poster papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 53 submissions. They are grouped into the following topics: technology and systems; theoretical and design aspects; health and wellbeing; extended realities; soft and social skills; academic skills; and posters and exhibits.

This book explores what games and play can tell us about contemporary processes of urbanization and examines how the dynamics of gaming can help us understand the interurban competition that underpins the entrepreneurialism of the smart and creative city. Games and Play in the Creative, Smart and Ecological City is a collection of chapters written by an interdisciplinary group of scholars from game studies, media studies, play studies, architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning. It situates the historical evolution of play and games in the urban landscape and outlines the scope of the various ways games and play contribute to the city’s economy, cultural life and environmental concerns. In connecting games and play more concretely to urban discourses and design strategies, this book urges scholars to consider their growing contribution to three overarching sets of discourses that dominate urban planning and policy today: the creative and cultural economies of cities; the smart and playable city; and ecological cities. This interdisciplinary work will be of great interest to students and scholars of game studies, play studies, landscape architecture (and allied design fields), urban geography, and art history.

Cities have long been recognized as key sites for fostering new communication practices. However, as contemporary cities experience major changes, how do diverse inhabitants encounter each other? How do cities remember? What is the role of the built environment in fostering sites for public communication in a digital era? Communicative Cities and Urban Space offers a critical analysis of contemporary changes in the relation between urban space and communication. This volume seeks to understand the situatedness of contemporary communication practices in diverse contexts of urban life, and to explore digitized urban space as a historically specific communicative environment. The essays in this book collectively propose that the concept of the ‘communicative city’ is a productive frame for rethinking the above questions in the context of 21st-century ‘media cities’. They challenge us to reconsider qualities such as openness, autonomy and diversity in contemporary urban communication practices, and to identify factors that might expand or constrict communicative possibilities. Students and scholars of communication studies and urban studies would benefit from this book.

In this book the authors present an HCI principle-based approach to develop applications to assist children with disabilities. Design knowledge related to developing complex solution for this audience is explained from an interaction design point of view. Different methodologies, models and cases studies are covered with the aim of helping practitioners to adopt any of the proposed techniques presented in this book. HCI methodologies that adopt an agile strategy are presented, including novel techniques at different development steps, such as: board games, agile planning, agile implementation, method engineering. As this is a huge research field the authors do not just focus on a specific disability but test their methods in different contexts with excellent results. Readers of this book will find both a well-organized and structured set of methodologies and also material that has been tested and refined throughout years of research. Using detailed case studies the reader is guided towards specific solutions which will also provide insights into how to address related problems.

Play in the Early Years provides an accessible overview of key concepts, debates and approaches to children’s Play. This book: · Considers play from a variety of perspectives · Offers expert insights into theory and research in each area · Encourages the reader to critically reflect on both theory and practice With features including key terms, case studies, reflective questions, spotlights on research and an accompanying glossary, this text is perfect for everyone who is interested in Play - from those just starting undergraduate degrees through to those with more advanced knowledge or experience.

Enhancing Digital Literacy and Creativity is an exploration of how young children gain digital literacies in ‘makerspaces.’ The international authors investigate how hands-on experimentation with a variety of materials - from traditional arts and crafts to contemporary digital tools like 3D printers and laser cutters - can aid children in their development of play, creativity and storytelling. From museums to libraries, nursery schools to community centres, this research shows how ‘making’ supports the development of creative skills and introduces concepts to be explored in a variety of environments and contexts. Drawing on examples from around the globe, described by a range of international academics, Enhancing Digital Literacy and Creativity includes chapters on: Virtual reality Museum and library makerspaces Intergenerational making in families Making in schools and nursery settings Assessing learning in makerspaces Links to previous theories Social imagination This book will be a valuable resource for students and researchers in the fields of education and digital literacies; early childhood teacher educators and practitioners; librarians; museum educators; and makerspace staff.