Design for Emergence: Collaborative Social Play with Online and Location-Based Media, Volume 153 Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications

Design for Emergence investigates spontaneous, unpredictable uses of technology that are driven by social contexts and collaborative processes, based on our ability to communicate our presence, both virtual and physical, in symbolic ways. In light of the fact that social dynamics and unexpected uses of technology can inspire innovation, this book proposes a research model of design for emergence, focusing on emergent phenomena as part of an iterative design process. By providing playful, technology-mediated experiences with minimal structure, unpredictable user behaviors can emerge through exploration, resulting in a richer and more complex, social experience. The research methodology is practice-based; two interactive prototypes were designed, implemented and evaluated in different contexts: an online multiplayer BumperCar game and a wireless, location-based urban game of 'tag', called CitiTag. User studies showed that collaborative, spontaneous play can enhance the sense of social participation in a group activity. Collective and individual behaviors and creative uses of technology emerged from a simply designed application based on symbolic presence, both in the virtual and the physical world. CitiTag experiments showed that virtual elements in a mixed reality game can instigate novel experiences in the context of our everyday physical and social environment, with often unexpected results. The observed emergent behaviors are personal and collective extensions of the virtual experience in the real world. The book concludes with a positive view of ubiquitous and social computing, in which the virtual world becomes a 'first class citizen' rather than a substitute for the realworld, creating new situations and engaging experiences in the setting of our daily life that were not possible before. DESIGN FOR EMERGENCE......Page 2 Foreword......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Researching Spontaneous Collaborative Play......Page 14 Thesis Structure......Page 15 Foundations: Social Play as a Design Framework for Emergence......Page 18 Defining Presence Based Group Play......Page 20 What Is Presence?......Page 21 Why Play?......Page 27 Crowd Behaviour and Group Dynamics......Page 30 Emergent Self-Organisation......Page 34 The Challenge of Mixed Reality Collective Experiences......Page 36 Participant Observation in Flash Mobs......Page 37 Wireless Location-Based Multiplayer Games......Page 40 Location-Based Social Software......Page 43 A Categorization of Ubiquitous Social Experiences......Page 46 Research Framework......Page 51 A Model for Design for Emergence......Page 54 Presence Is Symbolic......Page 58 Large Scale Is Important for Emergent Interaction......Page 60 Keep the Design Lightweight......Page 61 By Employing Affordances Users Understand and Can Extend the Design......Page 62 Early Design Sketches for Design for Emergence......Page 64 Online Games......Page 65 Pixeltag: A Mobile Game......Page 68 Mixed Reality Games......Page 72 Final Thoughts Towards a Playground Social Game......Page 78 Online Case Study: Experiments with a Multiplayer Bumper Car Game......Page 80 The Idea......Page 82 Storyboards and Variations......Page 83 Technical Limitations and Design Considerations......Page 85 The Game Design......Page 86 Experimental Design......Page 89 Analysis Method......Page 93 Emergence......Page 95 Spontaneous Collaboration and Group Behaviours......Page 98 Game Experience......Page 101 Visual Communication and Design......Page 105 Conclusions......Page 110 Design for Emergence in the Real World: Experimenting with a Mixed Reality Urban Playground......Page 114 The Idea......Page 116 The Action of Tagging......Page 118 Group Formations and Swarming......Page 120 Views......Page 121 Metaphor......Page 123 CitiTag Design......Page 125 CitiTag System Architecture......Page 128 Method: User Studies......Page 129 Game Experience......Page 130 Emergence......Page 136 Awareness, Group Belongingness and Collaboration......Page 146 Usability and Design......Page 149 Conclusions and Future Work......Page 151 Reflections on How to Design for Emergence......Page 154 Revisiting the Research Framework......Page 156 Emergence in BumperCars and CitiTag......Page 157 Emergence as Experiential Variability......Page 160 Emergence Feeding Back into the Design Process......Page 163 Guidelines for Design for Emergence for Online and Ubiquitous Multi-User Applications......Page 165 Key Research Questions and Opportunities......Page 169 UrbanSwarm: A Proposed Example for Further Research......Page 171 Conclusion: So What?......Page 177 References......Page 178 Acknowledgements......Page 186 Design for Emergence investigates spontaneous, unpredictable uses of technology that are driven by social contexts and collaborative processes, based on our ability to communicate our presence, both virtual and physical, in symbolic ways. In light of the fact that social dynamics and unexpected uses of technology can inspire innovation, this book proposes a research model of design for emergence, focusing on emergent phenomena as part of an iterative design process. By providing playful, technology-mediated experiences with minimal structure, unpredictable user behaviors can emerge through exploration, resulting in a richer and more complex, social experience. The research methodology is practice-based; two interactive prototypes were designed, implemented and evaluated in different an online multiplayer BumperCar game and a wireless, location-based urban game of 'tag', called CitiTag. User studies showed that collaborative, spontaneous play can enhance the sense of social participation in a group activity. Collective and individual behaviors and creative uses of technology emerged from a simply designed application based on symbolic presence, both in the virtual and the physical world. CitiTag experiments showed that virtual elements in a mixed reality game can instigate novel experiences in the context of our everyday physical and social environment, with often unexpected results. The observed emergent behaviors are personal and collective extensions of the virtual experience in the real world. The book concludes with a positive view of ubiquitous and social computing, in which the virtual world becomes a 'first class citizen' rather than a substitute for the real world, creating new situations and engaging experiences in the setting of our daily life that were not possible before. IOS Press is an international science, technical and medical publisher of high-quality books for academics, scientists, and professionals in all fields. Some of the areas we publish -Biomedicine -Oncology -Artificial intelligence -Databases and information systems -Maritime engineering -Nanotechnology -Geoengineering -All aspects of physics -E-governance -E-commerce -The knowledge economy -Urban studies -Arms control -Understanding and responding to terrorism -Medical informatics -Computer Sciences Design For Emergence Investigates Spontaneous, Unpredictable Uses Of Technology That Are Driven By Social Contexts And Collaborative Processes, Based On Our Ability To Communicate Our Presence, Both Virtual And Physical, In Symbolic Ways. In Light Of The Fact That Social Dynamics And Unexpected Uses Of Technology Can Inspire Innovation, This Book Proposes A Research Model Of Design For Emergence, Focusing On Emergent Phenomena As Part Of An Iterative Design Process. By Providing Playful, Technology-mediated Experiences With Minimal Structure, Unpredictable User Behaviours Can Emerge Through Exploration, Resulting In A Richer And More Complex, Social Experience. The Research Methodology Is Practice-based; Two Interactive Prototypes Were Designed, Implemented And Evaluated In Different Contexts: An Online Multiplayer Bumpercar Game And A Wireless, Location-based Urban Game Of Tag, Called Cititag. User Studies Showed That Collaborative, Spontaneous Play Can Enhance The Sense Of Social Participation In A Group Activity. Collective And Individual Behaviours And Creative Uses Of Technology Emerged From A Simply Designed Application Based On Symbolic Presence, Both In The Virtual And The Physical World. Cititag Experiments Showed That Virtual Elements In A Mixed Reality Game Can Instigate Novel Experiences In The Context Of Our Everyday Physical And Social Environment, With Often Unexpected Results. The Observed Emergent Behaviours Are Personal And Collective Extensions Of The Virtual Experience In The Real World. The Book Concludes With A Positive View Of Ubiquitous And Social Computing, In Which The Virtual World Becomes A First Class Citizen Rather Than A Substitute For The Real World, Creating New Situations And Engaging Experiences In The Setting Of Our Daily Life That Were Not Possible Before.