2024
Heljakka, Katriina
How Play Moves Us: Toys, Technologies, and Mobility in a Digital World PhD Thesis
2024, ISBN: 978-951-29-9610-0.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Digital technology, Digitalization, Domestication of technology, Playing, Toys
@phdthesis{nokey,
title = {How Play Moves Us: Toys, Technologies, and Mobility in a Digital World},
author = {Katriina Heljakka},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-29-9611-7},
isbn = {978-951-29-9610-0},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-03-02},
publisher = {University of Turku},
abstract = {The 21st century has been described as the Century of Play. The change in current play is particularly noticeable when looking at technological developments. This thesis deals with the technologization, digitalization, and connectedness of play between 2010–2020. The research explores forms of contemporary play, playthings, and players in a time when digitalization and connectedness have extended to various tools and realms of play—devices, toys, games, apps, and mediated playful environments.
At the heart of the research are playthings and technologies conceptualized here as play machines, players using these tools within their communities and contexts, and, due to technological change, play research that increasingly expands into digital and networked cultures. Interactive digital devices have made play ubiquitous, and this includes play activities related to toys, mobile technologies, digital cameras, smartphones, digital toys, social media, and social robotics.
The purpose of the thesis is to increase the understanding of what the rapid technologization of play, or what is conceptualized in the thesis as the digital leap of play, means in terms of mobilizing the players physically, cognitively, and emotionally. The thesis opens up prospects for technology-enriched play by presenting a range of empirical studies interested in the mobilization tendencies of current digital devices, toys, and connected media cultures that inform and inspire contemporary play and players of different ages as a form of digital culture that unites players and generations.
The assumption is that digital technology connected to modern play experiences can move players in physical, cognitive, and emotional terms. Through six qualitative case studies, the thesis proposes to answer the central question: “How has play moved human players of the Western world in 2010–2020 in terms of physical, cognitive, and emotional mobility/movement?” The sub-question inquires what kinds of digital play are encountered in interactions of people of different ages as part of technologically enhanced leisure, learning, and environments where play is increasingly happening with and through machines and social media platforms by asking: “How are the acts of play realized in each instance of digital play through technology use, and what are the functions of the play for the players in each study?”
The thesis seeks to understand the nature and various aspects of the digital transformation of play and balance the prevailing negative assumptions with more positive and optimistic views on the effect of technology-oriented play on the lives of players of different ages.
The scholarly contribution of the thesis is to generate new play knowledge: The publications included in the thesis highlight various play patterns and practices among children of preschool age, adults, and seniors who engage in digital play through the use of digital devices or digital toys, either solitarily or socially, as part of
intergenerational play.
The findings of the thesis illustrate how changes in the ecosystem of play (primarily made possible by developing mobile technology and social media) are linked to the opportunities for players to engage in creative play activities, their documentation, and their social sharing. The connections of evolving digital technology (for example, digital toys, social media networking, and social robotics) to play are diverse; mobile devices with and without screens are used as an extension of play to enrich the experiences and outcomes of play and to empower the players by allowing them to showcase their imagination, creativity, and ability to connect with peers and other player communities.
The thesis concludes that contemporary technology embodied in digital devices and Internet-connected playthings as the play machines of 2010–2020 allows for the expansion of play into human and toy interactions that non-technological playthings would not support. Technological development thus expands the historical, digital-material, and narrative dimensions of play. Social, technology-supported play triggers cultural processes that also support intergenerational interaction in play. Consequently, this thesis suggests that 1) digital technology is a driver for societal changes that affect play, 2) digital technology is a mobilizer of players in a physical, cognitive, emotional, and social sense, and 3) digital technology is an enabling, empowering, and enriching resource for contemporary digital play.},
keywords = {Digital technology, Digitalization, Domestication of technology, Playing, Toys},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
The 21st century has been described as the Century of Play. The change in current play is particularly noticeable when looking at technological developments. This thesis deals with the technologization, digitalization, and connectedness of play between 2010–2020. The research explores forms of contemporary play, playthings, and players in a time when digitalization and connectedness have extended to various tools and realms of play—devices, toys, games, apps, and mediated playful environments.
At the heart of the research are playthings and technologies conceptualized here as play machines, players using these tools within their communities and contexts, and, due to technological change, play research that increasingly expands into digital and networked cultures. Interactive digital devices have made play ubiquitous, and this includes play activities related to toys, mobile technologies, digital cameras, smartphones, digital toys, social media, and social robotics.
The purpose of the thesis is to increase the understanding of what the rapid technologization of play, or what is conceptualized in the thesis as the digital leap of play, means in terms of mobilizing the players physically, cognitively, and emotionally. The thesis opens up prospects for technology-enriched play by presenting a range of empirical studies interested in the mobilization tendencies of current digital devices, toys, and connected media cultures that inform and inspire contemporary play and players of different ages as a form of digital culture that unites players and generations.
The assumption is that digital technology connected to modern play experiences can move players in physical, cognitive, and emotional terms. Through six qualitative case studies, the thesis proposes to answer the central question: “How has play moved human players of the Western world in 2010–2020 in terms of physical, cognitive, and emotional mobility/movement?” The sub-question inquires what kinds of digital play are encountered in interactions of people of different ages as part of technologically enhanced leisure, learning, and environments where play is increasingly happening with and through machines and social media platforms by asking: “How are the acts of play realized in each instance of digital play through technology use, and what are the functions of the play for the players in each study?”
The thesis seeks to understand the nature and various aspects of the digital transformation of play and balance the prevailing negative assumptions with more positive and optimistic views on the effect of technology-oriented play on the lives of players of different ages.
The scholarly contribution of the thesis is to generate new play knowledge: The publications included in the thesis highlight various play patterns and practices among children of preschool age, adults, and seniors who engage in digital play through the use of digital devices or digital toys, either solitarily or socially, as part of
intergenerational play.
The findings of the thesis illustrate how changes in the ecosystem of play (primarily made possible by developing mobile technology and social media) are linked to the opportunities for players to engage in creative play activities, their documentation, and their social sharing. The connections of evolving digital technology (for example, digital toys, social media networking, and social robotics) to play are diverse; mobile devices with and without screens are used as an extension of play to enrich the experiences and outcomes of play and to empower the players by allowing them to showcase their imagination, creativity, and ability to connect with peers and other player communities.
The thesis concludes that contemporary technology embodied in digital devices and Internet-connected playthings as the play machines of 2010–2020 allows for the expansion of play into human and toy interactions that non-technological playthings would not support. Technological development thus expands the historical, digital-material, and narrative dimensions of play. Social, technology-supported play triggers cultural processes that also support intergenerational interaction in play. Consequently, this thesis suggests that 1) digital technology is a driver for societal changes that affect play, 2) digital technology is a mobilizer of players in a physical, cognitive, emotional, and social sense, and 3) digital technology is an enabling, empowering, and enriching resource for contemporary digital play.
At the heart of the research are playthings and technologies conceptualized here as play machines, players using these tools within their communities and contexts, and, due to technological change, play research that increasingly expands into digital and networked cultures. Interactive digital devices have made play ubiquitous, and this includes play activities related to toys, mobile technologies, digital cameras, smartphones, digital toys, social media, and social robotics.
The purpose of the thesis is to increase the understanding of what the rapid technologization of play, or what is conceptualized in the thesis as the digital leap of play, means in terms of mobilizing the players physically, cognitively, and emotionally. The thesis opens up prospects for technology-enriched play by presenting a range of empirical studies interested in the mobilization tendencies of current digital devices, toys, and connected media cultures that inform and inspire contemporary play and players of different ages as a form of digital culture that unites players and generations.
The assumption is that digital technology connected to modern play experiences can move players in physical, cognitive, and emotional terms. Through six qualitative case studies, the thesis proposes to answer the central question: “How has play moved human players of the Western world in 2010–2020 in terms of physical, cognitive, and emotional mobility/movement?” The sub-question inquires what kinds of digital play are encountered in interactions of people of different ages as part of technologically enhanced leisure, learning, and environments where play is increasingly happening with and through machines and social media platforms by asking: “How are the acts of play realized in each instance of digital play through technology use, and what are the functions of the play for the players in each study?”
The thesis seeks to understand the nature and various aspects of the digital transformation of play and balance the prevailing negative assumptions with more positive and optimistic views on the effect of technology-oriented play on the lives of players of different ages.
The scholarly contribution of the thesis is to generate new play knowledge: The publications included in the thesis highlight various play patterns and practices among children of preschool age, adults, and seniors who engage in digital play through the use of digital devices or digital toys, either solitarily or socially, as part of
intergenerational play.
The findings of the thesis illustrate how changes in the ecosystem of play (primarily made possible by developing mobile technology and social media) are linked to the opportunities for players to engage in creative play activities, their documentation, and their social sharing. The connections of evolving digital technology (for example, digital toys, social media networking, and social robotics) to play are diverse; mobile devices with and without screens are used as an extension of play to enrich the experiences and outcomes of play and to empower the players by allowing them to showcase their imagination, creativity, and ability to connect with peers and other player communities.
The thesis concludes that contemporary technology embodied in digital devices and Internet-connected playthings as the play machines of 2010–2020 allows for the expansion of play into human and toy interactions that non-technological playthings would not support. Technological development thus expands the historical, digital-material, and narrative dimensions of play. Social, technology-supported play triggers cultural processes that also support intergenerational interaction in play. Consequently, this thesis suggests that 1) digital technology is a driver for societal changes that affect play, 2) digital technology is a mobilizer of players in a physical, cognitive, emotional, and social sense, and 3) digital technology is an enabling, empowering, and enriching resource for contemporary digital play.
2019
Heljakka, Katriina; Ihamäki, Pirita
Toys That Mobilize: Past, Present and Future of Phygital Playful Technology Proceedings Article
In: Arai, Kohei; Kapoor, Supriya; Bhatia, Rahul (Ed.): Proceedings of the Future Technologies Conference (FTC) 2019. FTC 2019, pp. 625-640, Springer, 2019, ISBN: 978-3-030-32522-0.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Phygitals, Smart toys, Toy mobility, Toys
@inproceedings{Heljakka2019f,
title = {Toys That Mobilize: Past, Present and Future of Phygital Playful Technology},
author = {Katriina Heljakka and Pirita Ihamäki},
editor = {Kohei Arai and Supriya Kapoor and Rahul Bhatia},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-32523-7_46},
isbn = {978-3-030-32522-0},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-10-10},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Future Technologies Conference (FTC) 2019. FTC 2019},
pages = {625-640},
publisher = {Springer},
abstract = {This exploratory paper focuses on the technological development of the toy medium with an interest in toys’ capacity to mobilize homo ludens, the playing human. By conducting an extensive literary review on the history and the present of mobile play objects, the study demonstrates how toys have developed from early moving and mechanical automata to playthings that move by themselves through in-built computerized components. The interest is two-fold: By analyzing the historical trajectory of mobile toys, the authors highlight the role of both toys and their players as participants in technologically mediated, phygital play. This hybrid form of playing combines the physicality of playthings with both mechanical and digital features. The results of the review show how toys—character toys in particular—have transformed from entertaining, self-moving spectacles to educational machines that mobilize the player both physically and geographically. Based on the results of the literary review, the authors suggest a continuum that visualizes the development of the types of toys that afford mobility in play of the past, present, and future. The paper concludes with the observation that phygital, playful technologies, such as character toys, have the capacity to influence human well-being in its various dimensions. By making them mobile, toys as a medium invite engagement with phygital playful technologies to enhance physical, cognitive, and social well-being.},
keywords = {Phygitals, Smart toys, Toy mobility, Toys},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
This exploratory paper focuses on the technological development of the toy medium with an interest in toys’ capacity to mobilize homo ludens, the playing human. By conducting an extensive literary review on the history and the present of mobile play objects, the study demonstrates how toys have developed from early moving and mechanical automata to playthings that move by themselves through in-built computerized components. The interest is two-fold: By analyzing the historical trajectory of mobile toys, the authors highlight the role of both toys and their players as participants in technologically mediated, phygital play. This hybrid form of playing combines the physicality of playthings with both mechanical and digital features. The results of the review show how toys—character toys in particular—have transformed from entertaining, self-moving spectacles to educational machines that mobilize the player both physically and geographically. Based on the results of the literary review, the authors suggest a continuum that visualizes the development of the types of toys that afford mobility in play of the past, present, and future. The paper concludes with the observation that phygital, playful technologies, such as character toys, have the capacity to influence human well-being in its various dimensions. By making them mobile, toys as a medium invite engagement with phygital playful technologies to enhance physical, cognitive, and social well-being.
Mäyrä, Frans; Tyni, Heikki
Transmedial Playthings: Games, Toys and Playful Engagement in Storyworlds Book Section
In: Coelsch-Foisner, Sabine; Herzog, Christopher (Ed.): Transmedialisierung, pp. 413-430, Universitätsverlag Winter, 2019.
Links | Tags: Playfulness, Toys, Transmedia
@incollection{Mäyrä2019b,
title = {Transmedial Playthings: Games, Toys and Playful Engagement in Storyworlds},
author = {Frans Mäyrä and Heikki Tyni},
editor = {Sabine Coelsch-Foisner and Christopher Herzog},
url = {https://homepages.tuni.fi/frans.mayra/Transmedial-Playthings.pdf},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-05-02},
booktitle = {Transmedialisierung},
pages = {413-430},
publisher = {Universitätsverlag Winter},
keywords = {Playfulness, Toys, Transmedia},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
Heljakka, Katriina; Harviainen, J. Tuomas
From Displays and Dioramas to Doll Dramas Journal Article
In: American Journal of Play, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 351–379, 2019, ISSN: 1938-0399.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Adult play, Adult toy play, Creativity, Object play, Object relations, Photoplay, Social media, Social play, Toys, World play, Worldbuilding
@article{Heljakka2019,
title = {From Displays and Dioramas to Doll Dramas},
author = {Katriina Heljakka and J. Tuomas Harviainen},
url = {https://trepo.tuni.fi/handle/10024/116158},
issn = {1938-0399},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
urldate = {2019-01-01},
journal = {American Journal of Play},
volume = {11},
number = {3},
pages = {351–379},
publisher = {The Strong},
address = {Rochester},
abstract = {Toys both guide and foster the play—and stimulate the imaginations—of players of all ages. The authors investigate adult use of toys as a point of entry to the world play of both transmedia-connected and stand alone toy characters—dolls, action figures, and soft toys. They point to how adult toy players engage actively in world building in their world play and suggest that play better describes the object relations of adults with toys than such notions as collecting or pursuing a hobby. They discuss how adults use world playing with toys to develop toy industry back stories and replay—and sometimes revolutionize—original story lines familiar from popular fiction. And they highlight how mature audiences for character toys employ these physical objects to explore their capacity for imaginative, spatial, and hybrid world play.},
keywords = {Adult play, Adult toy play, Creativity, Object play, Object relations, Photoplay, Social media, Social play, Toys, World play, Worldbuilding},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Toys both guide and foster the play—and stimulate the imaginations—of players of all ages. The authors investigate adult use of toys as a point of entry to the world play of both transmedia-connected and stand alone toy characters—dolls, action figures, and soft toys. They point to how adult toy players engage actively in world building in their world play and suggest that play better describes the object relations of adults with toys than such notions as collecting or pursuing a hobby. They discuss how adults use world playing with toys to develop toy industry back stories and replay—and sometimes revolutionize—original story lines familiar from popular fiction. And they highlight how mature audiences for character toys employ these physical objects to explore their capacity for imaginative, spatial, and hybrid world play.
2018
Heljakka, Katriina; Ihamäki, Pirita
Smart Toys for Game-based and Toy-based Learning: A Study of Toy Marketers', Preschool teachers' and Parents' Perspectives on Play Proceedings Article
In: CENTRIC 2018 : The Eleventh International Conference on Advances in Human-oriented and Personalized Mechanisms, Technologies, and Services, pp. 48–57, 2018, ISBN: 978-1-61208-670-5.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Game-based learning, Internet of toys, Preschool-children, Smart toys, Toys
@inproceedings{Heljakka2018g,
title = {Smart Toys for Game-based and Toy-based Learning: A Study of Toy Marketers', Preschool teachers' and Parents' Perspectives on Play},
author = {Katriina Heljakka and Pirita Ihamäki},
url = {https://www.thinkmind.org/index.php?view=article&articleid=centric_2018_3_10_38001},
isbn = {978-1-61208-670-5},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-10-14},
urldate = {2018-10-14},
booktitle = {CENTRIC 2018 : The Eleventh International Conference on Advances in Human-oriented and Personalized Mechanisms, Technologies, and Services},
pages = {48–57},
abstract = {Over the next years smart Internet-connected toys are expected to grow significantly in numbers. Our study explores smart toys’ potential to deliver experiences related to playful learning. One key aspect of toys, such as the CogniToys Dino, Fisher-Price’s Smart Toy Bear and Wonder Workshop’s Dash Robot are their game-based and toy-based features and functions, which are suggested to have educational outcomes when used in play. Through a comparative investigation of toy marketers’, preschool teachers’ and the parents’ of preschoolaged children’s perspectives of smart toys potential—and a comparison to the actual play experiences of preschoolers discovered in earlier stages of research, we demonstrate how the educational potential of contemporary smart toys may be categorized into game-based and toy-based affordances that may be employed for specific educational goals in playful learning.},
keywords = {Game-based learning, Internet of toys, Preschool-children, Smart toys, Toys},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Over the next years smart Internet-connected toys are expected to grow significantly in numbers. Our study explores smart toys’ potential to deliver experiences related to playful learning. One key aspect of toys, such as the CogniToys Dino, Fisher-Price’s Smart Toy Bear and Wonder Workshop’s Dash Robot are their game-based and toy-based features and functions, which are suggested to have educational outcomes when used in play. Through a comparative investigation of toy marketers’, preschool teachers’ and the parents’ of preschoolaged children’s perspectives of smart toys potential—and a comparison to the actual play experiences of preschoolers discovered in earlier stages of research, we demonstrate how the educational potential of contemporary smart toys may be categorized into game-based and toy-based affordances that may be employed for specific educational goals in playful learning.
Heljakka, Katriina
Disliked and Demonized Dollies: Pediophobia and Popular Toys of the Present Journal Article
In: WiderScreen, vol. 21, no. 3, 2018, ISSN: 1795-6161.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Doll design, Dolls, Horror, Pediophobia, Toys, Uncanny
@article{Heljakka2018c,
title = {Disliked and Demonized Dollies: Pediophobia and Popular Toys of the Present},
author = {Katriina Heljakka},
url = {http://widerscreen.fi/numerot/2018-3/disliked-and-demonized-dollies-pediophobia-and-popular-toys-of-the-present},
issn = {1795-6161},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-10-12},
urldate = {2018-10-12},
journal = {WiderScreen},
volume = {21},
number = {3},
abstract = {This study explores the phenomenon of pediophobia and popular character toys of the present day. Pediophobia, or, the fear of dolls, is a common reaction when discussing character toys with adults. By turning to a combination of various research materials concerned with popular toys, their characteristics, and the audiences who dislike and dismiss them such as previous research papers, media texts and interviews with adult toy players, my aim is to locate the joint phenomenon of the disliked ‘dollies’ and pediophobia in popular culture, the currently communicated reasons for it, and the strategies for avoiding encounters with the ‘dislikeys’.},
keywords = {Doll design, Dolls, Horror, Pediophobia, Toys, Uncanny},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This study explores the phenomenon of pediophobia and popular character toys of the present day. Pediophobia, or, the fear of dolls, is a common reaction when discussing character toys with adults. By turning to a combination of various research materials concerned with popular toys, their characteristics, and the audiences who dislike and dismiss them such as previous research papers, media texts and interviews with adult toy players, my aim is to locate the joint phenomenon of the disliked ‘dollies’ and pediophobia in popular culture, the currently communicated reasons for it, and the strategies for avoiding encounters with the ‘dislikeys’.
Heljakka, Katriina
2018.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Adult toy play, Mature players, Object play, Photoplay, Toys
@other{Heljakka2018h,
title = {Rethinking Adult Toy Play in the Age of Ludic Liberation: Imaginative, Visual and Social Object-Interactions of Mature Players},
author = {Katriina Heljakka},
url = {https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/Publication/57636717},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-07-11},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 8th International Toy Research Association World Conference Toys and Material Culture: Hybridisation, Design and Consumption},
publisher = {International Toy Research Association},
abstract = {This paper challenges the readers to rethink adult toy play by demonstrating evidence for the rich and multifaceted nature of contemporary adult toy play cultures. It is based on a ten-year period of extensive research among mature toy players and illustrates the necessity of a shift in thinking about the user-groups of toys. The paper as a think piece bases on long-term, rigorous research, and argues for the need to acknowledge adult toy play as an important and growing area of contemporary toy cultures. It summarizes the work of a toy researcher interested in adult toy relations (conducted between years 2008-2018) and has a two-way agenda: By turning to cultural phenomena related to ludification and toyification of culture, it functions both as a cultural analysis of the ludic Zeitgeist, as well as a mapping of what has been learned about adult play in contemporary toy cultures so far. The case studies featured in this paper have been grounded in multiple readings and analyses of the manifestations of adult toy play as presented in photoplay (or toy photography) displayed on social media, e.g. Flickr and Instagram. It is supplemented with thematic interviews and participatory observation at toy conventions. Moreover, research methods include an extensive literary review in connection with doctoral research (Heljakka, 2013) and post-doctoral studies (2014-2018), and empirical studies (based on closer visual analyses of toy collections and qualitative interviews with mature players aged between 25-50+ years) on adult toy play in reference to contemporary character toys such as doll-types Blythe (Tomy Takara), Barbie and Ken (Mattel), My Little Pony (Hasbro), and Star Wars toys (by various toy makers).},
keywords = {Adult toy play, Mature players, Object play, Photoplay, Toys},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {other}
}
This paper challenges the readers to rethink adult toy play by demonstrating evidence for the rich and multifaceted nature of contemporary adult toy play cultures. It is based on a ten-year period of extensive research among mature toy players and illustrates the necessity of a shift in thinking about the user-groups of toys. The paper as a think piece bases on long-term, rigorous research, and argues for the need to acknowledge adult toy play as an important and growing area of contemporary toy cultures. It summarizes the work of a toy researcher interested in adult toy relations (conducted between years 2008-2018) and has a two-way agenda: By turning to cultural phenomena related to ludification and toyification of culture, it functions both as a cultural analysis of the ludic Zeitgeist, as well as a mapping of what has been learned about adult play in contemporary toy cultures so far. The case studies featured in this paper have been grounded in multiple readings and analyses of the manifestations of adult toy play as presented in photoplay (or toy photography) displayed on social media, e.g. Flickr and Instagram. It is supplemented with thematic interviews and participatory observation at toy conventions. Moreover, research methods include an extensive literary review in connection with doctoral research (Heljakka, 2013) and post-doctoral studies (2014-2018), and empirical studies (based on closer visual analyses of toy collections and qualitative interviews with mature players aged between 25-50+ years) on adult toy play in reference to contemporary character toys such as doll-types Blythe (Tomy Takara), Barbie and Ken (Mattel), My Little Pony (Hasbro), and Star Wars toys (by various toy makers).
Ihamäki, Pirita; Heljakka, Katriina
"Travel Bugs": Toys Traveling Socially through Geocaching Proceedings Article
In: DiGRA ’18 – Abstract Proceedings of the 2018 DiGRA International Conference: The Game is the Message, 2018.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Gamification, Geocaching, Social play, Toy mobility, Toy turism, Toys, Travel bugs
@inproceedings{Ihamäki2018,
title = {"Travel Bugs": Toys Traveling Socially through Geocaching},
author = {Pirita Ihamäki and Katriina Heljakka},
url = {http://www.digra.org/digital-library/publications/travel-bugs-toys-traveling-socially-through-geocaching},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-07-01},
urldate = {2018-07-01},
booktitle = {DiGRA ’18 – Abstract Proceedings of the 2018 DiGRA International Conference: The Game is the Message},
abstract = {This study explores emerging types of mobile and social play patterns through the object-based, but technologically enhanced practices of toy tourism. As our case studies demonstrate, object play practices in the digitalizing world are not only becoming increasingly social in nature, but even more mobile than before. As illustrated by our study focusing on Travel Bugs in the context of the international game of geocaching, toys become mobile through different practices partaken by players, willing to either become involved in toy tourism with their playthings. Our study consisted of 45 survey responses from geocachers traveling with Travel Bugs. According to the results, mobile and social object play practices enabled by the platform of Geocaching become gamified – i.e. more perceivable, goal-oriented and measurable. Our main contribution is a conceptual framework in which the relations between the digital, the physical and the social dimensions of toy tourism are modelled.},
keywords = {Gamification, Geocaching, Social play, Toy mobility, Toy turism, Toys, Travel bugs},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
This study explores emerging types of mobile and social play patterns through the object-based, but technologically enhanced practices of toy tourism. As our case studies demonstrate, object play practices in the digitalizing world are not only becoming increasingly social in nature, but even more mobile than before. As illustrated by our study focusing on Travel Bugs in the context of the international game of geocaching, toys become mobile through different practices partaken by players, willing to either become involved in toy tourism with their playthings. Our study consisted of 45 survey responses from geocachers traveling with Travel Bugs. According to the results, mobile and social object play practices enabled by the platform of Geocaching become gamified – i.e. more perceivable, goal-oriented and measurable. Our main contribution is a conceptual framework in which the relations between the digital, the physical and the social dimensions of toy tourism are modelled.
Heljakka, Katriina
Re-playing Legends’ Worlds: Toying with Star Wars’ Expanded Universe in Adult Play Journal Article
In: Kinephanos, vol. 8, no. 1, 2018, ISSN: 1916-985X.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Adult toy play, Photoplay, Re-playing, Star Wars, Toys
@article{Heljakka2018d,
title = {Re-playing Legends’ Worlds: Toying with Star Wars’ Expanded Universe in Adult Play},
author = {Katriina Heljakka},
url = {https://www.kinephanos.ca/2018/re-playing-legends-worlds-toying-with-star-wars-expanded-universe-in-adult-play},
issn = {1916-985X},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-06-01},
urldate = {2018-06-01},
journal = {Kinephanos},
volume = {8},
number = {1},
abstract = {In this essay, I describe how adult fans of the Star Wars universe engage actively in world-building through world-play. What distinguishes world-play from world-building, as proposed by Wolf (2012), is an understanding that adult toy play involves more than mere collection of toys, the most prominent concept in both hobbyist and theoretical writings on adults’ relationships with toys. In my analyses of visual and narrative data collected with adults, I have concentrated on profiling the types of adults who play with toys (Heljakka, 2013) and mapping out popular play patterns and motivations to play in reference to mass-produced toys (e.g., Heljakka, 2012; 2013; 2015). The essay at hand aims to investigate how adults’ play with Star Wars toys also entails elements of world-building in terms of both imaginative and spatially emerging object play patterns. Moreover, my study explores the employment of narratives from the original Star Wars films as texts and a source for contemporary fan play. Focus will be given to how the story-worlds of George Lucas, now imagined further by Disney and its storytellers, impact the current world-playing practices of Star Wars fans.},
keywords = {Adult toy play, Photoplay, Re-playing, Star Wars, Toys},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
In this essay, I describe how adult fans of the Star Wars universe engage actively in world-building through world-play. What distinguishes world-play from world-building, as proposed by Wolf (2012), is an understanding that adult toy play involves more than mere collection of toys, the most prominent concept in both hobbyist and theoretical writings on adults’ relationships with toys. In my analyses of visual and narrative data collected with adults, I have concentrated on profiling the types of adults who play with toys (Heljakka, 2013) and mapping out popular play patterns and motivations to play in reference to mass-produced toys (e.g., Heljakka, 2012; 2013; 2015). The essay at hand aims to investigate how adults’ play with Star Wars toys also entails elements of world-building in terms of both imaginative and spatially emerging object play patterns. Moreover, my study explores the employment of narratives from the original Star Wars films as texts and a source for contemporary fan play. Focus will be given to how the story-worlds of George Lucas, now imagined further by Disney and its storytellers, impact the current world-playing practices of Star Wars fans.
Heljakka, Katriina; Harviainen, J. Tuomas; Suominen, Jaakko
Stigma Avoidance through Visual Contextualization: Adult Toy Play on Photo-sharing Social Media Journal Article
In: New Media & Society, vol. 20, no. 8, pp. 2781–2799, 2018, ISSN: 1461-4448.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Adult play, Photo-sharing sites, Photoplay, Stigma avoidance, Toys, Visual contextualization
@article{Heljakka2018,
title = {Stigma Avoidance through Visual Contextualization: Adult Toy Play on Photo-sharing Social Media},
author = {Katriina Heljakka and J. Tuomas Harviainen and Jaakko Suominen},
doi = {10.1177/1461444817732534},
issn = {1461-4448},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
urldate = {2018-01-01},
journal = {New Media & Society},
volume = {20},
number = {8},
pages = {2781–2799},
publisher = {SAGE Publications},
address = {London, England},
abstract = {While the benefits of play have been widely recognized, carrying out activities with toys at adult age is still often seen as stigmatizing behaviour. Some adults solve this issue by referring to their toy activities as either hobbies or collecting. Yet, the primary purpose of toys is play. People may therefore utilize their toys for new kinds of play. One popular decision is the utilization of toys in photographs and videos aiming at personalization and storytelling on social media. Using eight interviews, we point out that this visual contextualization of play ties into not only the adults’ sublimation of their desires to use their toys but also to threads of cultural history in which sublimated or substituted artistic uses have been found for objects. Finally, we show that this activity too is a form of play, made possible by the existence of photo-sharing sites like Flickr and Instagram.},
keywords = {Adult play, Photo-sharing sites, Photoplay, Stigma avoidance, Toys, Visual contextualization},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
While the benefits of play have been widely recognized, carrying out activities with toys at adult age is still often seen as stigmatizing behaviour. Some adults solve this issue by referring to their toy activities as either hobbies or collecting. Yet, the primary purpose of toys is play. People may therefore utilize their toys for new kinds of play. One popular decision is the utilization of toys in photographs and videos aiming at personalization and storytelling on social media. Using eight interviews, we point out that this visual contextualization of play ties into not only the adults’ sublimation of their desires to use their toys but also to threads of cultural history in which sublimated or substituted artistic uses have been found for objects. Finally, we show that this activity too is a form of play, made possible by the existence of photo-sharing sites like Flickr and Instagram.