Welcome to Better Together
“Better Together” comprehensively explores the spectrum of play from early childhood to adulthood, presenting how play has always been a means of connection and communi- cation. Although the research encompasses all age groups, particular attention is given to teenagers, a community of- ten overlooked. The artifacts and investigations portray how a combination of purposefully designed household objects and readily available items within the home environment can be leveraged to facilitate connection through gaming and various activities. The overarching goal is to offer prac- tical tools and insights to enhance togetherness within fam- ilies with teenagers.
Honeycomb Game Table
Supele-Mahogany, Cork, Steel, Paper Stock, and Magnets
Let us bring the family closer together through an everyday object that people use or see on the daily basis. This is not just any ordinary dining table, this is a dining table made for interactive conversation by playing a game on it.
The primary focus of my research is parent-teenager relation- ships and how to facilitate togetherness between the two, but this is also a table for any relationship: friends, neighbors, extended family, and romantic partners.
The table includes 22 tiles, 19 of which to be arranged on its top to create a path from start to home. By using household objects as pawns, you move them by rolling the dice. This game can be competitive, sending your opponents back to start, switching with them, or moving them back spaces.
There are opportunities for discussion and proclamation in this game. Under each tile a card is placed for a player to answer a question from an intended category decided at the beginning of the game.
This table can be used for eating, gathering and gaming, but can also serve as a reminder to get to know a stranger or your own family member in a new dynamic way.
Marble Run Candle
Stick Timer
Plywood, Acrylic, Metal Ball Bearing, a Bowl, and Paper Stock
Everyone loves a marble run and we just can’t understand why that is. It’s the simplest form of play - understanding gravity and directing a moving force.
The set of three candle holders has a spiral staircase for a marble to roll down.
This is a set, because the candle holders are stackable, allow- ing you to increase the time of your game play. This type of play enforces is a visual perception of time. Stakced together, the three candle sticks accumulate to 10 seconds of time.
Run it two times and it takes approximately 35 seconds. (allowing you to reset the 10 second timer)
Run it 5 times and I bet you can’t do it in under a minute!
Want more entertainment? Run two balls at the same time in different paths. How many can your run at once?
In what other ways can these objects be used?
IYou may be wondering what the overall purpose of play throughout your lifetime is. Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, known for his work in child develop- ment, defines play as relief from serious learning. Erik Erikson, an expert in human growth and devel- opment, defines play as a situation in which a child can work through experiences by creating model situations and master reality through planning and experimentation. These theories apply to all ages.
Both in childhood and adulthood, play is a form
of stress relief. As an adult, play has been shown
to help develop healthier coping styles such as acceptance and positive reframing. Play enhances overall well-being through its links to desirable characteristics of laughter, easing tensions, and supporting creative processes. Studies show that high playfulness scores in adults were associated with greater creativity, appreciation of beauty, and a more exciting & energetic approach to life.
If both adults and children love to play and it sup- ports their physical, cognitive, social, and behavioral development across their lifespans, then what are the benefits of children and adults playing together, more specifically in a parent-teenager relationship?
What sort of outcomes result from this bonding experience? When play occurs within the context of parenting in a nurturing environment, it encourages the development of agency (e.g., self-reliance, in- dependence) and communion in the teen. (prosocial skills such as helping, sharing, etc). Parents also benefit in these situations by playing with their children, as they engage in a playful mindset and encourage themselves to reuse the tools they once used as a kid to cope with life’s stressors. This shared experience and state of mind that parents have when they engage in such activities provide enjoyment and suspension of time with their chil- dren.
To help aid in my research, I developed a workshop for students and designers to use random objects as inspiration for a simple game that can be developed within the context of the home. The materials in the workshop were strategically provided, including user personas of the intended family they were designing the game for. Most of these objects were found in thrift stores as well as common objects that I found in my own home.
Insight:
The simpler the game the better because then it can be age inclusive
Adults lose the ability to play like they did when they were young, how might we instill play into adulthood?
Teenager lose interest in quality time and communicating with parents due to the struggle for autonomy and identity formation outside of the family unit
Chores can be integrated into games to help divide the family’s household tasks
Research and Prototypes
