Toys and Play - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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SP.778 Toy Product Design Toys and Play Play and work are words used to describe the same activity under different circumstances. -mark twain
Transcript of Toys and Play - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
SP.778 Toy Product Design
Toys and PlayPlay and work are words used todescribe the same activity underdifferent circumstances.-mark twain
SP.778 Toy Product Design
Announcements!
• New Students?• Website Update• Hasbro Trip• No class Wednesday• Lab Thursday/Selection• Notebooks?• Quiz Results
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Play and Toy Design
• What is play?• Understanding Play• Play Classifications• Emotional Needs and
Successful Toys
• The Product Design Process
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First, The Sharpies.
• Contrast• Cleaning• Post
Processing
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What is Play?• play is notoriously difficult
to tightly define-Wikipedia
• play is a quality not anactivity-Sociologist David Reisman
• play and work are wordsused to describe the sameactivity under differentcircumstances-Mark Twain
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What is Play?• Describes an Activity• Amusing/Entertaining• Developmental
– Social– Cognitive– Creative– Emotional– Physical– Relaxation– Sensual
An amusing/entertaining activity thatinvolves an underlyingdevelopmental attribute
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What is Play?
Watching Television?
Sensory Experiences?
Reading Books?
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The Importance of Play
• Play for play sake• Cathartic experience• Express feeling• Gain Control -Frued
• Preparation for life/world• Understand oneself• Development• Fun
Convention on the Rights of the Child: Article 311. States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities
appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.2. States Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and
shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational andleisure activities.
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Predicting Play
Ceci n’est pas une toaster
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Predicting Play• A toaster is not a toy.• What if Play is the
FunctionalRequirement?
• Can we test if it willfunction as expected inpre-production models?
• Need a playclassification
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Classification• Organization• Tool for communication• Comparison• Holes/Opportunities
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Play Classifications• Piaget
– Sensory-motor– Preoperational– Concrete operations– Formal operations
• By Development– Social– Physical– Sensory– Cognitive– Etc
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The Play “Pyramid”
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Scales of Play• Involvement• Social Involvement• Level of Restraint• Mental to Physical• Gender
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Play “Pyramid” Edges
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Play “Pyramid” Faces
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“Pyramid” Placement• Playing on the edge of
Challenge and Construction• Open the present, but keep it
in the box.• Analyze the toy using the
Play “Pyramid” and the PlayScales.
• How would you change theplay/toy to move itelsewhere in the Pyramidand/or Scales?
• In 5 minutes, repack androtate
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Popular* Toys
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Popular Play Types
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What makes a Toy Successful?• Play Value• Parental appeal• On trend• Regenerative “evercool”
• MArketing• Aesthetics• Novelty• Emotional Need
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Transforming the Child
• Master• Creator• Nurturer• Emulator• Friend• Collector• StoryLover• Experience Seeker
And connecting with deep emotional needs
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Creating a Master
• Control• Building self-esteem• Master for Keeps• Master of Throw and
Catch• Master of Endurance• Intelligence Master
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Creating a Creator• Blank Slate• Creating inventors• Ultimate creators
– Mr. Potato Head– The Sims
• From the adult world!– Lincoln Logs– Resnick
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Creating a Nurturer
• Yearn to nurture• Emulate parents• Molding toy persona• Babies, Bears, and
Puppies• Outside the box
– Ant farms– Tamagotchi
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Creating an Emulator
• Trying on careers andlifestyles
• Barbie and G.I. Joe• Role Playing
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Creating a Friend
• Sense of Belonging• Bear Friends• Friends that Teach
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Creating a Collector• Accumulation vs.
Collection• Becoming enthusiasts• 1+1=3• Competition• Katamari Damacy
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Creating a Story Lover• Walt Disney• Emulation extension• Rethinking Storytelling• Transmedia Properties• Toymakers are
storytellers
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Creating an Experience Seeker
• The 4th DimensionMore than a story!
• Entering the Game• Controlling the Game• Realism heightens the
fantasy• Interactive
Entertainment
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Emotional Needs in the Play “Pyramid”
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Successful Toy Qualities?• Play Value• Parental appeal• On trend• Regenerative “evercool”
• MArketing• Aesthetics• Novelty• Emotional Need
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Hasbro Tour• Wednesday Feb 14th• Meet behind Johnson• At 11am Sharp• Hasbro is 50 miles
south of here inPawtucket RI
• Return by 3 pm• Lunch is provided
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Product Design Process
