Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The game also differs from the tool in that the game is the end itself and doesn't
serve as a means to attain anything outside the boundaries of itself. In this sense,
Scratch is really a game, because most of the creations built within Scratch don't
serve to be used outside that domain, even the project fi les are not exportable to any
other model.
All this said, we should state that the three main traits that make a technology
become creative is the ability to respond to the needs of being a toy, a game, and a
tool. Creative technologies should then be able to:
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Elicit attractiveness and easy interaction, like a toy.
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Engage, motivate, and maintain concentration while pushing for mastery, as
games do.
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Serve a purpose, like help, guide, connect, or facilitate the attaining of an objec-
tive, as a tool.
1.6
Conclusions
An increasingly wider set of technological tools are emerging and enabling new
ways for a democratic creation. These tools are accessible and available to anyone
and forming the new mechanisms for self-expression, for communicating points of
view, or for raising one's attention. Examples range from viral videos to interactive
artworks, but looking below the surface reveals new modes of learning and enjoying
life.
These new technologies are opening horizons for new creative demographics.
On one hand, facilitating creation by general people, through the embedding of
knowledge, and pushing motivation for perseverance from the natural will to self-
discovery in each person and, on the other hand, pushing for a participatory culture
made of content generated by all - creating a culture that is open and free, built on
the values of community and social reconnaissance against fi nancial retributions.
Finally, these new tools are being shaped within a tripartite conception of func-
tionality, that of being at the same time a toy, a tool, and a game. This conception is
the guarantee to create technologies that will motivate people to struggle for the
self-discovery in search of their inner creation desires.
References
Anderson C (2006) The long tail: why the future of business is selling less of more. Hyperion,
New York
Boyd B (2009) On the origin of stories. Harvard Press, Cambridge, MA
Brown S (2010) Play how it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the soul.
Avery - Penguin Group, New York
Csikszentmihalyi M (1990) Flow: the psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row, New York
