Introduction This paper aims to identify an understanding of digital games in virtual environments 1 by using Don Ihde’s (1990) postphenomenological approach to how technology mediates the world to human beings in conjunction with Hans-Georg Gadamer’s (1993) notion of play 2 . Through this tentatively proposed amalgamation of theories I point towards an alternative understanding of the relation...

The Problem: Physical and perceptual interfaces to games and virtual environments are an exciting new interface paradigm. Recent advances in computer vision make real-time sensing of users’ position and pose possible using relatively low-cost sensors. However, little thought has been given to the interface abstractions that are most appropriate in this medium, or to the relationship of the phys...

Competing trends in early childhood education emphasize the need for strong curricular approaches and for unfettered exploration. We propose an approach to early learning that avoids this false dichotomy: guided play. Guided play takes advantage of children’s natural abilities to learn through play by allowing them to express their autonomy within a prepared environment and with adult scaffoldi...

been accepted by society as long as the human story has been recorded and was probably admitted long before this. Play is not only the recreation of the young, but it helps to prepare and train them for their tasks in after life. No doubt it has long been recognized that by means of play the child works off his surplus energy, releases the exuberance of his spirits and expresses his personality...

sam shepard is one of the foremost living american playwrights. he has always been concerned with the problem of identity, specifically the fragmented identity of man living in the postmodern era. such characterization is evident in his plays: true west, fool for love, and a lie of the mind. thus, the present article is to demonstrate the fragmented identity of lee and austin, eddie and may, an...

Heeter and Winn explore the concept of meaningful play, describe highlights of the Meaningful Play: Designing and studying games that matter conference, and introduce the articles in this issue.

The value of play in the treatment of nervous disturbance is now generally recognised. Even in adult treatment there is play of a kind, though here the play is with ideas expressed mainly through words. For children the medium is less intellectualised, and play involves activity as well as speech. Concrete expression and experimentation are normal and necessary to the child, and provide therapy...