Towards sylvan games : Exploring playful forest-technology interactions

Abstract

This paper presents a study based on research through design, exploring the potentials of the intersection between human play, forests, and technology. Building on the existing literature on urban games, we introduce the idea of sylvan games which focus on deepening the relations between players and natural spaces. We designed two different games, Sensor Hunt and Pathmaker, focusing on different dimensions of navigation and technologies. Fourteen participants played the games while quantitative and qualitative data was collected using pre and post gameplay surveys, open questions, and drawings. A hybrid thematic analysis approach was employed to analyse the data and four themes were identified: the game, the technologies, the forest, and the participants’ emotions. The emotional influences of the games were further explored using PANAS and text analysis. We discuss these results and suggest a list of design considerations for future sylvan games based on our findings.