playmakers, a 35 minute documentary, is the culmination of a six month project following the progress of Hide&Seek game designers Alex Fleetwood and Holly Gramazio through the development of a new game. The documentary was filmed over the first 6 months of 2009 and premiered at the Sheffield Documentary festival. Playmakers will be available to download and view on the 5th of May 2010.
Over the last 50 years play has become an increasingly private activity. Now it is bursting back onto our streets. playmakers explores the emerging area of pervasive games it examines the implications of reclaiming play into the public domain and shows the possibilities offered by new technologies.
Playmakers investigates four main themes:
Part 1: Play
Why is play important and what does it mean to us now?
This section of the film asks some questions about what play is for and looks at some of the principles of pervasive game design. We are introduced to the ambitions of Alex Fleetwood and Holly Gramazio for their new game and ask questions about why this sort of play is needed.
Part 2: Public space
‘The idea that the streets aren’t yours is a really horrible feeling’
The film takes a look at ways in which games can help us take ownership of public space and change the rules with which we operate in the city. It features a game of capture the flag, played in the busy streets around Brick Lane in London. It explores the tensions of tyring to ‘change the operating system’ of public space.
Part 3: Technology
How do we play with technology?
Technology is increasingly used for play. The film explores how computer games are becoming more social, Paulina Bozek describes the process of designing ’social games’ for major games consoles and we are taken on a geocaching hunt through London.
Part 4: Theatre/art:
‘‘The traditional theatre is a very stultifying experience’
The idea of sitting back and watching a performance being the only way of experiencing theatre is being challenged by new wave of theatre practitioners who are exploring ways of giving the audience more agency. We talk with Duncan Speakman who introduces us to his audio piece ‘my world is empty without you’ and to Matt Adams of Blast Theory who discusses the history and future of theatre.
Contributors:
Alex Fleetwood - pervasive game designer
Holly Gramazio - pervasive game designer
Michael Wesch - Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Kansas State University
Thomas Brock & Jack Case – Game Organisers
Howard Rheingold – Lecturer on Virtual Communities , University College Berkeley
Clare Reddington – Director, Pervasive Media studio
Simon Johnson & Simon Evans – pervasive game designers, Simon Games
Dr Quentin Stevens – Senior Lecturer in Urban Design , University College London
Matt Adams – games designer and artist, Blast Theory
Paulina Bozek – Development Director, Atari London
Duncan Speakman – Artist
Credits:
Filmed and directed by:
Ivo Gormley
Assistant Producer
and editor:
Matan Rochlitz
Music Composed by Daniel Harle
Additional camera and edit assistant:
Dave Green
Additional Camera:
Matan Rochlitz
Dave Green
Amy Rose
Naor Elimelech
Additional footage, stills and audio from:
Hide&Seek
‘UNC Flash Mob Rave in Davis, 2009′ The Daily Tar Heel
Pong, Atari Incorporated 1972
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Activision 2007
Rock Band, MTV Games and Electronic Arts 2008
The Nearest Tube app, AcrossAir
Twittearth, Digitas
L’arrivée d’un train à La Ciotat‘, Auguste and Louis Lumière, 1895
‘Uncle Roy All Around You’ by Blast Theory, 2003
‘Southwark Fair’ William Hogarth, 1733
‘Interior View of the Music Hall’ Boston, Author Unknown
‘My World is Empty Without You’ Duncan Speakman
With thanks to:
The Hub, Kingscross
The Southbank Centre
Institute for Contemporary Arts
The Barbican Centre
St Monica’s RC School
Roland Harwood
Rohan Gunatillake
Dave’s mum
Pete Law
Ian Drysdale
Chas Stredder
Soho Theatre
The Bricklayers Arms, Putney
The Tornadoes FC
Daniel Davis-James
Association for Learning Technology
Peter Rattenbury-Neate
Hide&Seek
Pete Law
produced by
thinkpublic
In association with
NESTA
