2020
Nansen, Bjørn; Apperley, Thomas H.
The Digitization of Children's Public Play Spaces
In: McQuire, Scott; Wei, Sun (Ed.): Communicative Cities and Urban Space, pp. 76-91, Routledge, 2020, ISBN: 978-0-367-51560-7.
Book chapter
Abstract | Links | Tags: Children, Digitization, Playgrounds, Urban play
@incollection{Nansen2020,
title = {The Digitization of Children's Public Play Spaces},
author = {Bjørn Nansen and Thomas H. Apperley},
editor = {Scott McQuire and Sun Wei},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202101221640},
doi = {10.4324/9781003054436},
isbn = {978-0-367-51560-7},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-12-31},
urldate = {2020-12-31},
booktitle = {Communicative Cities and Urban Space},
pages = {76-91},
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {This chapter explores the collision of digital technology and children’s public play spaces, as part of the broader trajectories of the communicative city in which the historical distinctions between the digital and the non-digital are blurred through mobile, locative, and ambient urban media. The digitization of children’s public space is, in common with many other social contexts, predominantly occurring through the widespread and often incidental use of personal mobile devices that occurs around children’s public play. Public playgrounds, which grew in number and popularity in the early twentieth century in response to the street as the default public space of children’s play making way for the car, were from their origins associated with children’s safe outdoor recreation and physical health. The penetration of mobile media infrastructures into playgrounds disrupts this understanding of the playground as a site that is “unmediated” by technological media.},
keywords = {Children, Digitization, Playgrounds, Urban play},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
This chapter explores the collision of digital technology and children’s public play spaces, as part of the broader trajectories of the communicative city in which the historical distinctions between the digital and the non-digital are blurred through mobile, locative, and ambient urban media. The digitization of children’s public space is, in common with many other social contexts, predominantly occurring through the widespread and often incidental use of personal mobile devices that occurs around children’s public play. Public playgrounds, which grew in number and popularity in the early twentieth century in response to the street as the default public space of children’s play making way for the car, were from their origins associated with children’s safe outdoor recreation and physical health. The penetration of mobile media infrastructures into playgrounds disrupts this understanding of the playground as a site that is “unmediated” by technological media.
Nansen, Bjørn; Apperley, Thomas H.
The Postdigital Playground: Children's Public Play Spaces in the Smart City
In: Leorke, Dale; Owens, Marcus (Ed.): Games and Play in the Creative, Smart and Ecological City, pp. 116-132, Routledge, 2020, ISBN: 978-0-367-44123-4.
Book chapter Open access
Abstract | Links | Tags: Augmented reality, Children, Mobile media, Playgrounds, Postdigital play, Public space, Smart city
@incollection{Nansen2020b,
title = {The Postdigital Playground: Children's Public Play Spaces in the Smart City},
author = {Bjørn Nansen and Thomas H. Apperley},
editor = {Dale Leorke and Marcus Owens},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202102091989},
doi = {10.4324/9781003007760},
isbn = {978-0-367-44123-4},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-11-16},
urldate = {2020-11-16},
booktitle = {Games and Play in the Creative, Smart and Ecological City},
pages = {116-132},
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {This chapter examines the integration of children’s public play spaces into the infrastructures of the smart city. While prior research has focused on personal mobile devices, this chapter examines deliberate design interventions that digitally augment children’s play spaces. Drawing on perspectives from children’s geography and game studies to conceptualise childhood play in the smart city, the chapter highlights the sometimes-contradictory relations that emerge. These contradictions arise in the smart city through the digital augmentation of spaces historically and culturally designated as play-spaces. We introduce the notion of the postdigital to emphasisze the blurring of boundaries of digital and non-digital play in children’s play in playgrounds and conceptualise the integration of playgrounds into digital infrastructures in
relation to the broader impact that the smart city has on the uses of public space.
This chapter explores this ongoing integration of playgrounds into the smart city through two recent examples of interactive play designs that digitally augment public playgrounds and parks: HybridPlay, and Disney Fairy TrailTrails. These examples of postdigital play in public playgrounds are analysed in terms of their functionality, representation, and online reception. Operating within along a broader trajectory of smart city infrastructures characterised by the blurring of discrete spaces of sociality, these examples of postdigital play highlight tensions associated with the cultural sensibilities and historical meanings attached to public play spaces, digital technologies, and childhood.},
keywords = {Augmented reality, Children, Mobile media, Playgrounds, Postdigital play, Public space, Smart city},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
This chapter examines the integration of children’s public play spaces into the infrastructures of the smart city. While prior research has focused on personal mobile devices, this chapter examines deliberate design interventions that digitally augment children’s play spaces. Drawing on perspectives from children’s geography and game studies to conceptualise childhood play in the smart city, the chapter highlights the sometimes-contradictory relations that emerge. These contradictions arise in the smart city through the digital augmentation of spaces historically and culturally designated as play-spaces. We introduce the notion of the postdigital to emphasisze the blurring of boundaries of digital and non-digital play in children’s play in playgrounds and conceptualise the integration of playgrounds into digital infrastructures in
relation to the broader impact that the smart city has on the uses of public space.
This chapter explores this ongoing integration of playgrounds into the smart city through two recent examples of interactive play designs that digitally augment public playgrounds and parks: HybridPlay, and Disney Fairy TrailTrails. These examples of postdigital play in public playgrounds are analysed in terms of their functionality, representation, and online reception. Operating within along a broader trajectory of smart city infrastructures characterised by the blurring of discrete spaces of sociality, these examples of postdigital play highlight tensions associated with the cultural sensibilities and historical meanings attached to public play spaces, digital technologies, and childhood.
relation to the broader impact that the smart city has on the uses of public space.
This chapter explores this ongoing integration of playgrounds into the smart city through two recent examples of interactive play designs that digitally augment public playgrounds and parks: HybridPlay, and Disney Fairy TrailTrails. These examples of postdigital play in public playgrounds are analysed in terms of their functionality, representation, and online reception. Operating within along a broader trajectory of smart city infrastructures characterised by the blurring of discrete spaces of sociality, these examples of postdigital play highlight tensions associated with the cultural sensibilities and historical meanings attached to public play spaces, digital technologies, and childhood.
2019
Koskimaa, Raine; Kauraoja, Valtteri; Karhulahti, Veli-Matti
In: Reitman, Jason G.; Anderson, Craig G.; Deppe, Mark; Steinkuehler, Constance (Ed.): Proceedings of the 2019 Esports Research Conference, pp. 228-229, ETC Press, 2019.
In proceedings Open access
Abstract | Links | Tags: Adolescents, Children, Competitive gaming, Electronic sports, Exercise
@inproceedings{Koskimaa2019b,
title = {Competitive Play, Physical Exercise and School Performance: Case Study among Pre-teens and Teens Attending Esports Summer Camp in Finland},
author = {Raine Koskimaa and Valtteri Kauraoja and Veli-Matti Karhulahti},
editor = {Jason G. Reitman and Craig G. Anderson and Mark Deppe and Constance Steinkuehler},
url = {https://press.etc.cmu.edu/index.php/product/proceedings-of-the-2019-esports-research-conference/},
doi = {10.1184/R1/12217766},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-10-10},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2019 Esports Research Conference},
pages = {228-229},
publisher = {ETC Press},
abstract = {Digital games have been considered harmful for the youth in many ways. One of these concerns is the reduced time left for school and healthy physical activities in return for non-ergonomic crouching over gaming controls and staying up late. On the other hand, the evolving esports scene has given rise to more organized and systematic training and playing, with an added emphasis on player wellbeing. So far, to our knowledge, the relationship between competitive gaming, physical exercise, and school performance among the youth has not been studied scientifically. Some research among high-level and professional esport players, however, has indicated that players on this level spend approximately 1 hour daily on physical exercise, and more than half of them (56%) believe that integrating physical exercise in training programs improves their competitive performance (Kari & Karhulahti2016; Kari et al. 2019).
The present work-in-progress is based on mixed method data collected from an Esports Summer Camp in Jyväskylä, Finland (June 3–7,2019). The attendees were 10-15 years old and partaking in two groups, one playing Overwatch and the other Fortnite. Local esports coaching company InCoach was responsible for the contents and running of the camp, and they had coaches for both teams with experience as professional players in the respective games. Questionnaires were given to the attendees (n=22) and half the respondents were interviewed with a semi-structured approach as well(n=10). The results of the above serve two further aims in the future: we will conduct a longitudinal multi-year study with these and other young players aspiring to competitive esports careers, and a bi-annual national sports and physical exercise survey (n=4000) will be extended with gaming and esports related questions in the next round during Spring 2020. The respondents were, as expected, avid players and online streaming spectators. At the same time, however, they also practiced many traditional sports and physical exercise. Their school performance was good. Esports and traditional sports were not mutually exclusive, but high interest in esports also indicated higher interest in traditional sports.},
keywords = {Adolescents, Children, Competitive gaming, Electronic sports, Exercise},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Digital games have been considered harmful for the youth in many ways. One of these concerns is the reduced time left for school and healthy physical activities in return for non-ergonomic crouching over gaming controls and staying up late. On the other hand, the evolving esports scene has given rise to more organized and systematic training and playing, with an added emphasis on player wellbeing. So far, to our knowledge, the relationship between competitive gaming, physical exercise, and school performance among the youth has not been studied scientifically. Some research among high-level and professional esport players, however, has indicated that players on this level spend approximately 1 hour daily on physical exercise, and more than half of them (56%) believe that integrating physical exercise in training programs improves their competitive performance (Kari & Karhulahti2016; Kari et al. 2019).
The present work-in-progress is based on mixed method data collected from an Esports Summer Camp in Jyväskylä, Finland (June 3–7,2019). The attendees were 10-15 years old and partaking in two groups, one playing Overwatch and the other Fortnite. Local esports coaching company InCoach was responsible for the contents and running of the camp, and they had coaches for both teams with experience as professional players in the respective games. Questionnaires were given to the attendees (n=22) and half the respondents were interviewed with a semi-structured approach as well(n=10). The results of the above serve two further aims in the future: we will conduct a longitudinal multi-year study with these and other young players aspiring to competitive esports careers, and a bi-annual national sports and physical exercise survey (n=4000) will be extended with gaming and esports related questions in the next round during Spring 2020. The respondents were, as expected, avid players and online streaming spectators. At the same time, however, they also practiced many traditional sports and physical exercise. Their school performance was good. Esports and traditional sports were not mutually exclusive, but high interest in esports also indicated higher interest in traditional sports.
The present work-in-progress is based on mixed method data collected from an Esports Summer Camp in Jyväskylä, Finland (June 3–7,2019). The attendees were 10-15 years old and partaking in two groups, one playing Overwatch and the other Fortnite. Local esports coaching company InCoach was responsible for the contents and running of the camp, and they had coaches for both teams with experience as professional players in the respective games. Questionnaires were given to the attendees (n=22) and half the respondents were interviewed with a semi-structured approach as well(n=10). The results of the above serve two further aims in the future: we will conduct a longitudinal multi-year study with these and other young players aspiring to competitive esports careers, and a bi-annual national sports and physical exercise survey (n=4000) will be extended with gaming and esports related questions in the next round during Spring 2020. The respondents were, as expected, avid players and online streaming spectators. At the same time, however, they also practiced many traditional sports and physical exercise. Their school performance was good. Esports and traditional sports were not mutually exclusive, but high interest in esports also indicated higher interest in traditional sports.
Mertala, Pekka; Meriläinen, Mikko
In: Global Studies of Childhood, vol. 9, iss. 4, pp. 275-289, 2019, ISBN: 2043-6106.
Journal article
Abstract | Links | Tags: Children, Digital games, Early childhood, Media education
@article{Mertala2019,
title = {The Best Game in the World: Exploring Young Children's Digital Game-Related Meaning-Making via Design Activity},
author = {Pekka Mertala and Mikko Meriläinen},
doi = {10.1177/2043610619867701},
isbn = {2043-6106},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-08-04},
journal = {Global Studies of Childhood},
volume = {9},
issue = {4},
pages = {275-289},
abstract = {Although digital games have become a constituent part of young children’s lives, not enough is known about the kinds of meanings children give to games and gaming. This qualitative study contributes to resolving this need by engaging 26 5- to 7-year-old Finnish preschoolers in an open-ended drawing task to answer the following research questions: What aspects of digital games appear meaningful for young children when they act as game designers? Why are these aspects meaningful for young children? The findings suggest that children are not mere passive consumers of digital games but are agentic meaning-makers who are capable of critically evaluating digital games when a safe and supportive space and the appropriate medium are provided. The children refined, modified, and personalized existing influential games by replacing the leading male character with a female one or by having a player operate as the antagonist instead of the hero. The findings suggest that there are vast unexplored dimensions for scholars to engage with in young children’s gaming cultures, children’s perceptions of game content, early game literacy, as well as children’s meaning-making in games. Implications for pedagogy of early childhood education are discussed.},
keywords = {Children, Digital games, Early childhood, Media education},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Although digital games have become a constituent part of young children’s lives, not enough is known about the kinds of meanings children give to games and gaming. This qualitative study contributes to resolving this need by engaging 26 5- to 7-year-old Finnish preschoolers in an open-ended drawing task to answer the following research questions: What aspects of digital games appear meaningful for young children when they act as game designers? Why are these aspects meaningful for young children? The findings suggest that children are not mere passive consumers of digital games but are agentic meaning-makers who are capable of critically evaluating digital games when a safe and supportive space and the appropriate medium are provided. The children refined, modified, and personalized existing influential games by replacing the leading male character with a female one or by having a player operate as the antagonist instead of the hero. The findings suggest that there are vast unexplored dimensions for scholars to engage with in young children’s gaming cultures, children’s perceptions of game content, early game literacy, as well as children’s meaning-making in games. Implications for pedagogy of early childhood education are discussed.