Hack #1

For the first “Hack” of this class, my partner, Marie, and I used a Makey Makey in order to test its limits and comment on border social concepts of play. By combining two completely opposite spectrums of “play,” I hoped to provide a criticism of the broader implications of technology. A Makey Makey is a fun alternative to using physical objects to replace digital keys or clicks on a form of technology. We decided to use stuffed animals to control the arrow keys on our keyboard. These fun, innocent plush toys, in combination with the Makey Makey, are then used to play a horrific, creepy version of 2048, which replaces the numerical blocks with pictures of serial killers. This “game” that we created involves two concepts of play addressed in Caillio’s Man, Play, and Games–Agon, and Mimicry. 2048 is a competitive game in which a player can win or use while playing with stuffed animals is a form of role-playing or make-believe. 

In our current society, children play games on the internet just like they play with physical toys. As technology grows, the accessibility of content expands. A child with access to a phone, computer, or internet could play this 2048 game just as easily as they could play with stuffed animals. The combination of these contradictory things shows a concerning juxtaposition. In reality, stuffed animals do not come into contact with or are seen near violent horror characters. Through this unsettling proximity, I hoped to provide further commentary on how we have accepted violence as normal. Games such as 2048 show that people seek out and find enjoyment through interacting with violence and terror. Not only is this available to play, but it is accessible to anyone on the internet. Children are confronted with this violence as a new normal. Increased interaction with games such as this 2048 desensitizes children to violence and horror. 

This game ultimately represents the game industry and technology in America that is sold to children. With no restrictions, video and internet games allow children to play violent games, and because of their competitive nature, it makes them want to continue. In our “game,” the comfortable, sweet stuffed animals are used as the tools that enable play in this competitive, horror-based game. By exaggerating the juxtaposition of these two elements, I hoped to make a broader comment on the complex nature and dangerous undertones of the expansion of technology on gameplay.