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

Fig. 46
Left side: One of the groups is building a game world utilizing predesigned material (images
and quotations from seniors’ interviews) and post-it notes. Right side: Part of the mind-map
type of illustration of the imagined senior house, the game world.
Peter, who facilitates one of the group’s role-play, sets the stage by
describing a beautiful spring evening in 2012, a symbolic time for the
play’s events. Then he introduces the alternative role characters, from
which everyone should choose one. When he reads aloud the description
about one of the role characters who thinks that it’s her responsibility
to notify if rules in the senior house are ignored, Sirkka interrupts
him and states that she could take that role. Everyone laughs while she
takes the character template from Peter.
Peter encourages others to pick a role as well, and once everyone
have chosen an appropriate role, they complete the templates and
present them in turns. For instance, Henna’s role character is Pirkko-
Liisa Silvennoinen who has recently retired even though she didn’t want
to leave work life yet, because she still felt energetic. Henna portrays
Pirkko-Liisa’s history, hobbies and mindset followed by other players’
introductions, after which the performance will start.
Peter gives the first scenario about a fire accident at the senior house
as an example of what is meant by framing a scene. After performing
the first scenario, the game proceeds in turns. For example, Tapani
utilizes the provided weekly timetable as a prompt for a storyline that
starts as follows: “On Tuesdays the lunch is normally served at eleven
o’clock, but today the food from the food supplier arrives at fifteen to
twelve.” He continues describing how that will cause problems for the
residents and ends the scenario by stating that “the situation is over
when the food will be served”. Henna starts performing the scenario
in accordance with the description given by Tapani by playing her rolecharacter
followed by Sirkka, Reetta, Tapani and Pekka. Everyone is involved
in the construction of the play. They go on for five minutes, after
Setting
the
stage
for
the
game
Creating
the
scenario:
from
framing
the
scene
to
role–play
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