This week, we looked at two readings by Huizinga and Caillois on the definitions and cultural significance of play. I particularly enjoyed these readings as talking about play and fun on an academic level proved to be more provocative than in casual, every-day life settings. We don’t often think about fun and playing unless it actually happens, so thinking about the larger implications of these humanistic impulses was quite interesting for me. I do feel like, however, that the readings were outdated in their categorizations of fun / play and what some examples of fun / play looked like. Granted, the readings were from the 50s, which continues to prove how fun and play are subjective for everyone.
This week, we also spoke about our first hack. Using the Makey Makey, we are tasked with pushing the boundaries of the typical functions of technology. Currently, I am brainstorming some possibilities that can connect music and technology in an ironic, juxtaposed way. I am leaning towards using different musical instruments as the inputs devices to play a drum kit. For instance, I want to map out a piano keyboard or a guitar to play a kick or snare sound, so that you can play the drums by playing everything that’s not a drum. I am still working some ideas out to ensure that this is innovative, exciting, and goes beyond the surface level of what the Makey Makey can offer.
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