APD WEEK5 PLAY&FORCE

Video Link: https://youtube.com/shorts/ZxabrjEjfwg?feature=share

In response to the theme of play&force, I tried to draw various patterns on a smooth plate with a marker, and after pouring in water, I took advantage of the hydrophobicity of the marker and the fluidity of the water to create some constantly changing visual effects.

Context

Mr Matt’s lecture made me think that sometimes in games we focus too much on the intended goal or outcome, and not enough on the serendipity that can happen along the way. This theme gives us a chance to give control to the forces, rather than the players themselves, so that the result is uncontrollable. “In play we are not talking about an end product, but a process which happensI think uncertainty in games is one of the great joys of games.” (Russell and Lester in Play for a Change- September 2008) Play without a specific goal is more like play, more like a way to explore. Because too specific rules and constraints tend to take play itself into something more like a competition, and sometimes lose its meaning, because it often no longer brings joy to people, but forms a constraint, a set of habitual thinking, which makes creation lose its imagination. So thinking about force can break that inertia.

Method

My first reaction was that water was the perfect input, because water's unique fluidity makes it impossible to determine where it goes. I first tried to draw some patterns on the plastic bag, and then put them in the water, hoping for some amazing results. I was surprised to find some lines actually floating on the water, which inspired me, I looked up and found that it was due to the hydrophobicity of the marker paint. So I prepared a smooth plate so that the markers would float better. Then I shook the plate, and the painted patterns all moved and deformed in unexpected ways, visually as if they had come to life.

References: Lester, S and Russell, W (2008) Play for a change: play, policy and practice – a review of contemporary perspectives. London: NCB.

Reflection

This week's theme got me thinking again about another way players can have fun while playing. They often come not from set goals, but from exploring the unknown. When I was working on this project, I did not expect that water could make the handwriting of the marker float, which is a kind of play process in a sense.