Ludic Interfaces
Encyclopedia
Ludic Interfaces is the name for a new discipline and for an innovative type of interfaces.
Ludic interfaces are playful interfaces. The notion of "homo ludens", introduced by Dutch anthropologist Johan Huizinga, is the conceptual backbone of the tools the discipline is looking at. The tools and concepts applied with the concept of ludic interfaces differ from traditional technological systems as they are playful, user-generated and user-driven, flexible, low-cost and cooperative. Ludic interfaces share methods and knowledge from computer games, artistic experiment, interactive media, media conversion, social networks and modding
cultures and result in tools that offer an ease of use and playfulness to cope with a society in change.
in Greater Manchester
.
In the same year a group of game artists and scholars led by Mathias Fuchs
started lecturing and writing about the theory of Ludic Interfaces and applied for a European grant to develop a Masters programme in Ludic Interfaces. The application was successful and the development is in progress.
The notion of "ludic interfaces" has also historical roots in artistic practice and analysis of interfaces (cf. Christa Sommerer, Laurent Mignonneau), the notion of "playfulness" as a design and arts strategy, or the "Ludic Society" arts organisation.
’s “Giant Joystick”. It is the interface with all its materiality, erotic connotations and haptic features which makes the ludic installation work so well. Ludic interfaces can also facilitate play in a musical sense. The "postvinyl" performance, originally commissioned by futuresonic
festival Manchester
in 2004 recontextualizes a computer game in a performance environment.
Notable conferences in the field include:
Ludic interfaces are playful interfaces. The notion of "homo ludens", introduced by Dutch anthropologist Johan Huizinga, is the conceptual backbone of the tools the discipline is looking at. The tools and concepts applied with the concept of ludic interfaces differ from traditional technological systems as they are playful, user-generated and user-driven, flexible, low-cost and cooperative. Ludic interfaces share methods and knowledge from computer games, artistic experiment, interactive media, media conversion, social networks and modding
Modding
Modding is a slang expression that is derived from the verb "modify". Modding refers to the act of modifying a piece of hardware or software or anything else for that matter, to perform a function not originally conceived or intended by the designer...
cultures and result in tools that offer an ease of use and playfulness to cope with a society in change.
Core concept
At its core, "ludic interfaces" is a subcategory of interfaces in general. The notion is not restricted to electronics or HCI, even if the terminology was developed in respect to digital technology. Various authors suggest to use the term "ludic interfaces" for non-digital phenomena, e.g. architectural facades, skins, wearable computers, media art. "Ludic Interfaces" is also a Masters programme development on a European level. It is the title of a European collaboration in creating a network of Academic Institutions and of world leading Media Centres to investigate, design and test publicly shared digital content. The programme development is a joint project by the University of Potsdam, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Universität für künstlerische und industrielle Gestaltung in Linz, and by the University of SalfordUniversity of Salford
The University of Salford is a campus university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about west of Manchester city centre, on the A6, opposite the former home of the physicist, James Prescott Joule and the Working Class...
in Greater Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
History
The term was introduced in 2008 by ISEA curators Gunalan Nadarajan and Vladimir Todorović to describe a panel section of ISEA2008 in Singapore. The term was introduced with the aim of counterbalancing the tendency of "infantilization of play" and stressing the "complicities between technology and pleasure".In the same year a group of game artists and scholars led by Mathias Fuchs
Mathias Fuchs
Mathias Fuchs, , studied computer science in Erlangen and Vienna , and composition in Vienna and in Stockholm . He holds degrees in Computer Science , Electroacoustic Composition, and a PhD Mathias Fuchs, (* October 20, 1956 in Erlangen/ Germany), studied computer science in Erlangen and Vienna...
started lecturing and writing about the theory of Ludic Interfaces and applied for a European grant to develop a Masters programme in Ludic Interfaces. The application was successful and the development is in progress.
The notion of "ludic interfaces" has also historical roots in artistic practice and analysis of interfaces (cf. Christa Sommerer, Laurent Mignonneau), the notion of "playfulness" as a design and arts strategy, or the "Ludic Society" arts organisation.
Examples
Jess Kilby’s RFID Tarot table consists of a hand-painted black table with letters and signs drawn upon it, and a white set of cards containing radio-frequency tags. The installation is an example for a ludic set-up where the interface contributes significantly to the magic of the game. Hidden information within in the blank cards allows the RFID reader, a digital tarot reader automaton, to interpret information hidden from the human eye. Kilby’s system interprets the information contained within the cards and displays videos of a frightening future. The game could certainly be implemented as a Flash simulation or be built for a 2D monitor display system, but without the materiality of the ludic interface, without the special lighting, and without the artist dressed in a fortune teller’s dress the game would not work at all. The same holds true for Mary FlanaganMary Flanagan
Mary Flanagan is an artist, author, educator, and designer currently residing in Hanover, New Hampshire. She is inaugural chair holder of the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professorship in Digital Humanities at Dartmouth College and the director of the Tiltfactor Lab, an activist game design group...
’s “Giant Joystick”. It is the interface with all its materiality, erotic connotations and haptic features which makes the ludic installation work so well. Ludic interfaces can also facilitate play in a musical sense. The "postvinyl" performance, originally commissioned by futuresonic
Futuresonic
Futuresonic is an annual festival of art, music and ideas. It involves a freeform mix of live events, exhibitions, workshops and talks in up to 30 different venues and spaces across Manchester, UK. Futuresonic was established in 1995 with the first major festival in September 1996...
festival Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in 2004 recontextualizes a computer game in a performance environment.
Resources
An introduction to the field appropriate for general audiences is a publication to be issued in summer of 2010 by furtherfield, London.Notable conferences in the field include:
- International Symposium on Electronic Arts (ISEA2008)
- CODED CULTURES - Exploring Creative Emergences (Binational Festival, Austria-Japan 2009)
- International Conference on Pervasive Computing
External links
- Homepage of the European Masters Development (Ludic Interfaces)
- MSc Creative Games (Creative Games)