Michiel de Lange

Playful Identities: The Ludification of Digital Media Cultures

In this edited volume, eighteen scholars examine the increasing role of digital media technologies in identity construction through play. Going beyond computer games, this interdisciplinary collection argues that present-day play and games are not only appropriate metaphors for capturing postmodern human identities, but are in fact the means by which people create their identity. From discussions of World of Warcraft and Foursquare to digital cartographies, the combined essays form a groundbreaking volume that features the most recent insights in play and game studies, media research, and identity studies.

Games as Strong Concepts for City-Making

Cities are becoming increasingly complex, both in terms of their social and cultural context, and in the technological solutions that are necessary to make them function. In parallel, we are observing a growing attention toward the public dimension of design, addressing societal challenges and opportunities at an urban scale. Conceptualizing, ideating, and framing design problems at a larger scale may still prove challenging, even as cities are becoming more and more relevant for all branches of design. In this chapter, we address the use of game mechanics to produce strong concepts for better understanding complex problems in city-making and communal participation, capitalizing on the necessity to shift the attention from smart cities to smart citizens. Through several examples we will show that games and play have a special quality of social bonding, providing context and motivational aspects that can be used to improve the dynamics and solutions within city-making.

From real-time city to asynchronicity

there is here a conspicuous arms race towards more instantaneity, more temporal proximity between events, people and places. Communication is promoted to be ‘just-in-time’; feedback to your activities should be in ‘real-time’ as if you were playing a video-game character. Speed is essential, and this never-ending battle with time – to eliminate it – makes things happen instantaneously. (Bleecker and Nova, 2009: 29)