Designing Hybrid Games For Playful Fabrication: Augmentation, Accumulation & Idleness

Personal fabrication is on the rise as small scale manufacturing technology becomes more accessible. However, current uses of the technology are typically utilitarian, with little consideration given to the potential of fabrication systems to support more playful and creative experiences. In this paper, we argue that these new technologies can be used for more than prototyping and manufacturing. We propose the term playful fabrication to highlight how these technologies can be used in expressive and creative ways. Using two work-in-progress case studies, we identify three characteristics, augmentation, accumulation, and idleness, that highlight the opportunities and challenges for playful fabrication.