Yellow is Mine!: Designing Interactive Playgrounds Based on Traditional Childrens Play - Entertaining the Whole World - page 67

Fig. 5.3 The player interaction patterns from (Fullerton et al. 2004 ,p.46)
A Physical activity : a playground should allow for physical activities such as
running and climbing.
B Social interaction : playgrounds should not only provide a possibility for physical
development, but also for social interaction between the children. One way to pro-
vide possibilities for social interaction, is to facilitate different player interaction
patterns. A more detailed view on this issue is provided by Fullerton et al. ( 2004 ,
p. 46). They defined seven different player interaction patterns (see Fig. 5.3 ) that
describe the interaction between the players and the interactive system. Social
interaction between the players could be enhanced by facilitating competitive or
cooperative play.
C Simplicity : children need to be able to use the playground straight away.
D Flexible and adaptable rules : this issue does not, or in a lesser sense, apply
to the development of an interactive playground aimed at open-ended play. Pre-
defined rules should not be part of a playground designed as an environment for
open-ended play. However, players might still create their own rules within the
interactive playground.
E Challenge : the playground should be interesting and challenging to both novice
and experienced playground visitors.
F Goals : providing goals to the children can help to keep up the challenge of
the playground and keeps it interesting for a longer period of time. However,
when we want children to come up with games by themselves it seems a mistake
to provide them with goals. After all, the essence of open-ended play is that
players themselves invent their own games, including corresponding goals. Still,
it remains important to provide children with the possibility to define their own
goals.
G Feedback : naturally, an interactive playground should provide feedback, as it is
an interactive system. The feedback provided should be clear and understandable
by the children, to show them that their actions and intends have been understood
by the system.