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

Design games are not games in a traditional sense, since the application
area of early concept search and co-design, define them. What differentiates
one design game approach from another is the interplay between
the parts from the realms of design and games. As I started my research,
I was convinced that the special character of design games lies in their
similarities with many other games in a material way; that is to say, there
are rules, a game-board and game pieces. Now I propose that instead of
looking like a game from the outset, it is more important what the action
employs at the mental level. These are not totally separate perspectives,
since making the activity look and feel like a game can guide people’s
mindsets towards a play spirit. In other words, design games in the Play
framework include two basic components, context and play-qualities,
which define them:
Design games are tools for co-design that purposefully emphasise
play-qualities such as playful mindset and structure, which are
supported by tangible game materials and rules. Instead of being a
well-defined method, it is an expression that highlights the exploratory,
imaginative, dialogical and empathic aspects of co-design.
The objectives of applying design games are rooted in the design
context, i.e. that if one is designing new service models for a bank,
the bank practices and its development are connected to the aims
of the design game. The means for reaching these objectives are
drawn up in addition to the design (e.g. tangible mock-ups and user
representations) from the world of games (e.g. role-playing, turntaking,
make-believe) to deliberately trigger participants’ imagination
as a source of design ideas.
Hence, in the Play framework design games are not seen only through
their material qualities, but as a tool, a mindset and a structure. Underneath
these three categories, there are more specified objectives, characteristics
and play-qualities that I have found useful for the design games
played in co-design that go beyond a product design context. The Play
framework has been built based on my analysis, which has focused on the
empirical cases introduced in this dissertation. The cases, though, have
been influenced by the existing literature and, in that way, best practises
are embedded within the framework. Whereas different authors highlight
distinct characteristics of design games, I have tried to bring those
perspectives together and add my own experiences in order to provide a
thorough framework that is both simple and wide enough to help other
researchers and design practitioners to design, analyse and discuss design
games.
The theoretical ground for the framework comes from co-design
combined with studies on play, games and performance. Within the Play
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