Design games as a tool, a mindset and a structure Kirsikka Vaajakallio

Table 4
Sourcers
Authors, choreographers, composers, dramaturges, etc.
“Sources find, compose, device, or invent the actions to be performed.”
Producers
Directors, designers, technicians, business staff, etc.
“Producers work with the performers and sources to transform the sources into publicly
performed events”.
Performers
People who play the actions.
Partakers
Spectators, fans, congregations, juries, the public, etc.
“Partakers receive the actions and sometimes participate in them. […] Partakers usually
take part in the process after much of the preparatory work has already been done.”
Four performance roles as adapted from Schechner (2006, p 225).
What to draw from performance
In this section, I have described how performance theory, as discussed
by Richard Schechner, can be helpful in providing concepts and models
for describing and analysing co-design gatherings. As discussed by him,
performance studies bring two theories together: Goffman’s concepts
of social drama and frame analysis which shed light on the theatrics of
everyday social interaction and Turner’s ritual process that focuses on
transformational qualities of performances. By building on this theoretical
background it is possible to produce a holistic image of co-design process,
the actors and activities in it as shown by, for instance, Clark (2007)
and Halse (2008). Next I will summarise what has been learned from design
games and similar approaches in terms of co-design, with notions
concerning play, games and performances.
Fig. 27
Vocabulary
Process
Roles / actors
Ritual aspects of co-design
Besides the game metaphor, performance studies provide a window for understanding co-design
through a particular vocabulary, process, ritual aspects, and roles.
125