Games as Socio-Technical Systems

Interdisciplinary Infrastructure for a Pedagogy of Play

Abstract

In the search for a comprehensive framework to structure and instrumentalize a Pedagogy of Play, the present article explores the ludic phenomena from an interdisciplinary perspective, integrating relevant knowledge from multiple sources and complementary epistemologies. As a result, a socio-technical framework of play and games is built, described and exemplified across different cases, over a continuous territory that performs in terms of multiple scales and complexities. The overall intention is not to normalize games, but to integrate more and diverse playful interactions within our everyday lives; not only within basic education but across academic and professional life: an exertion driven by a genuine search to learn from each other and supported by a versatile set of tools. By approaching games as the tangible materialization of play, therefore delegating the material embodiment of whatever comes out of our creativity, to an active learning practice inspired by our curiosity, and that of whom we collaborate with. To conclude, the article discusses and reflects upon the political and aesthetic implications of the presented framework, highlighting the importance of attitudes and narratives that complement conventional study programs by suggesting new ways to approach pre-identified, yet open spaces.