AutomaTiles : tangible cellular automata for playful engagement with systems thinking

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2016.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Bobrow, Jonathan
Other Authors: Kevin Slavin.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106059
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author Bobrow, Jonathan
author2 Kevin Slavin.
author_facet Kevin Slavin.
Bobrow, Jonathan
author_sort Bobrow, Jonathan
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description Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2016.
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spelling mit-1721.1/1060592019-04-10T11:54:35Z AutomaTiles : tangible cellular automata for playful engagement with systems thinking Automa Tiles : tangible cellular automata for playful engagement with systems thinking Tangible cellular automata for playful engagement with systems thinking Bobrow, Jonathan Kevin Slavin. Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Program in Media Arts and Sciences () Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2016. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (page 56). There is an increasingly vital awareness that our world is an aggregate of complex systems, emergent behavior, and system dynamics. The perceptual and analytical tools for exploring and studying these systems, however, have generally been relegated to scientists (whether mathematicians, physicists, biologists, economists, or computer scientists). Thus, as more and more people become aware of such systems, most people are still excluded from engaging with complex systems. By inventing a new tool and interface, consisting of playful objects called AutomaTiles, I propose a new approach for fostering a more aware society of systems thinkers. AutomaTiles provide a three-tiered approach to making systems thinking more accessible. Firstly, AutomaTiles are a friendly and approachable set of playful objects; seen simply as toys, they afford the surprising effects of emergent behavior when brought together in aggregate. Secondly, AutomaTiles can be a tool for exploring collective behavior, distributed algorithms, and models of systems (whether forest fires or social phenomena) from a hands-on perspective. Lastly, AutomaTiles are a new kind of platform for games, bringing computational intelligence to table-top games, bringing together the social dynamics of face-to-face interaction with the complexity afforded by conventional video-games. Expanding the work on the future of board games from Playful Systems, we have created a novel digital-physical interface for playing games that allows for modes of gameplay never before possible in a table-top game. This thesis will illustrate the design decisions and affordances of AutomaTiles as a platform for engaging with these three tiers of the exploration and manipulation of complex systems. by Jonathan Bobrow. S.M. 2016-12-22T16:27:17Z 2016-12-22T16:27:17Z 2016 2016 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106059 964866962 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 64 pages application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Program in Media Arts and Sciences ()
Bobrow, Jonathan
AutomaTiles : tangible cellular automata for playful engagement with systems thinking
title AutomaTiles : tangible cellular automata for playful engagement with systems thinking
title_full AutomaTiles : tangible cellular automata for playful engagement with systems thinking
title_fullStr AutomaTiles : tangible cellular automata for playful engagement with systems thinking
title_full_unstemmed AutomaTiles : tangible cellular automata for playful engagement with systems thinking
title_short AutomaTiles : tangible cellular automata for playful engagement with systems thinking
title_sort automatiles tangible cellular automata for playful engagement with systems thinking
topic Program in Media Arts and Sciences ()
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106059
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