Wobble : supporting social play through an open-ended play environment

In this paper we explore how to design for different levels of social play such as solitary, parallel and group play. For this purpose, we developed an open-ended play environment that supports the three stages of play: invitation, exploration and immersion. This play environment, called Wobble, focuses on socio-dramatic play by triggering children’s imagination. Wobble consists of multiple interactive light objects developed for children aged four to six years old. Wobble was evaluated with eighteen children playing in groups of three during a free play session. The results show a clear pattern of how children first approach the play environment in a solitary manner, then explore its interaction possibilities in parallel and eventually become immersed in group play. This pattern can be supported by various design properties as local feedback and spatial interaction rules.