Learning in other contexts… like India is ‘other’ – and Jugaad!
The Indian experience is best explained with the Indian traffic as a metaphor – first day I was super scared, the chaos, the left oriented driving, yet no clear rules on overtaking left or right lanes, opposite drivers coming towards you, cows, pedestrians, motorbikes, riksja, trucks etc… yet the adaptivity of this traffic is intriguing […]
games as a tool
There are at least four different ways to go about applying games to make an impact. First, use existing games as an eye-opener for people to break through conventions and connect with others. For example, you can make four players play one Pac-man game and allow each player just one direction-control. They gain firsthand experience […]
Restrictions or invitation?
When I was travelling to India, we got the change to visit a park with several burial temples, it was beautiful. What I noticed where the signs and restrictions indicated at the entrance…. a list of things what NOT to do, yet the list as it was designed, almost appeared as a menu of things […]
Bookreview on Apply Play
I am very very honoured for my Dutch book to be reviewed by Thomas Fondelli, he already applies play in his therapeutic practice, and got curious about applying ‘gamification’ in his practice, therefor he read and reviewed my book thoroughly for the magazine “Systeemtheoretisch bulletin” in Belgium. Reading about his struggle reading through it, I […]
What Chi kung + Play have in common
For many years I’ve been following Chi kung workshops and courses from Remco Wernert at Natural Ease and this summer I followed a weekend workshop with Ole Eskildsen and it hit me, the overlapping aspects.
How not to play?
This sign is a warning NOT to play at that location. How can someone design a sign telling/ordering something so not natural?… if we look close, we might be able to construct the impact of hitting a ball on metal, which might have disturbed inhabitants nearby a lot. But still… how to forbid play? (btw […]
John Cleese on creativity (and play!)
John Cleese talks about creativity in this video, so many great quotes and so well articulated. Het mentions Johan Huizinga, and addresses PLAY as activity or even as necessity for creativity. Most strong lesson to learn, as takeaway (!yet do no see this as an excuse to skip watching this video!) “space and time is […]
A review on “Speel het spel”
My book is reviewed in Dutch! “Play the game – gamification as a motor for change is a nice and fresh booklet in which the elements of (playing) games are unraveled and you are invited to start working with it yourself.“ An english version “Apply Play” is also for sale here >>Specially proud on same […]
30 years of climbing!
[photo by axisroundedges.com] I am celebrating my 30 years anniversary of sport-climbing experience!!! I can not believe it myself, how I managed to spent soo many hours climbing in my life, for soo many years! In that time I have seen many fresh climbers develop their skills from newbee to mastery level (even to world […]
Extra ordinary play
Sometimes a game and its rule allow extreme situations nobody could predict, and the consequences are rare… yet for the sake of an honest outcome, these rules are being discussed and create great dilemma’s for the players, or the hosts or those outside the magic circle, yet involved deeply.
My students cheated on me!
My students at the Leiden University (a multi disciplinary the Game Hackathon course) had to write as one of the assignments a State of Play situation from their individual childhood. These little paragraphs of text were so pleasant for me to read, that I regretted that I was the only one reading these… and believed […]
From a spontaneity to a challenge?
In april last year, I launched my book Apply Play • to get ahead of the game, and have been receiving compliments plus suggestions via social media, per mail and in person since then. To my surprise, many people sent me a photo of their book Apply Play, and I feel very honoured to have […]
Organitopia
Very proud to play a part in Ina Smittenberg’s book: Organitopia with the topic of applying play. I love Ina’s approch of three angle’s to make a change how we can make a change, although not at all easy to translate to English 1 “het goede” = good 2 “het ware” = true 3 “het […]
as Published in Dutch Newspaper! “Addicted to learning”
Since I was invited to be part of the program on the NRC Live event on the future of Education in octobre, I was asked to write an opinion piece on applying play in education for the Dutch Newspaper NRC, the title of the article is: “Addicted to learning” to explore the existing current worries […]
Me, Professor of Play ! ?
After 1,5 years working with Internet of Elephants, I am honoured to be receiving this mention and title: “OUR PROFESSOR OF PLAY: ELLIS BARTHOLOMEUS” read the full blog here >> Plus I do agree this is the best Job in the world, I allowed to play a role as a member of the herd of this amazing […]
Oh, How I love threes & trees
I am very fond of threes, how they stand and how divers they are, and what they most have seen while growing for so many years, being there on the same spot. That, and many more reasons made me decide to build my logo with threes, since I believe many stories and adventures can be […]
Old photo still relevant today
This picture is taken at Laika on the Westergasfabriek, the company I co-founded in 2000, and left in 2010. Then we made a tagcloud as decoration on our window… still enjoying these words we chose then. “serious, fun, simple, play, games, strategic, tactic, usability, cooperate…”
How to playtest: where is the assumption killer?
Please read this article, and see how hard it is to properly test your product, and even more when your product is a game! Gamasutra: Anatomy of a Usability Test in Video Games (Part-1) Gamasutra: UX Walkthrough: Anatomy of a Usability Test in Video Games (Part-2) When teaching design, or consulting clients on design, I would […]
Seeing the bigger picture in play
This article inspired me: “42 Benefits of Doing Jigsaw Puzzles – Thinking Skills and Problem Solving” to write this: “I love it when a plan comes together” …we say we hate clichés, but we actually love these, and we love the moment when we recognise these. Because it reinforces our learnings and it builds our […]
“Play as need”
A Dutch tv program: “De Kennis van nu” (the knowledge of now) on the importance of play, how research has shown the great importance of play, by animals, human: “De kennis van nu, spelen is van levensbelang” (in dutch) See also the TED by Peter Gray on the importance of play: The decline of play
Who is Ellis?
Who is Ellis? I like to see this necklace as a representative of Ellis, in a magical circle, alone, but not lonely, in a world which is hers and she belongs to, sharing thoughts, ideas and love. What she gives, she get’s in return circular.
Why we should play more!
I truly think that play is a very autonomous activity since “playing a game is the voluntary effort to overcome necessary obstacles” (bernard suits). The voluntary aspect of play is most important and most overlooked aspect when games are being designed, but the holy grail for motivation lies in the freedom to participate, to engage […]
How some games can appear to be so similar yet they are not!
While playing these simple games like threes, 2084, I recognise the different layers/levels of play, the dynamics of me learning to find easy and difficult strategies which bring me further inside the game and make me able to accomplish higher scores. The dilemmas I experience in finding a strategy and learning when letting go of a […]
Wordfeud saving lives?
Two older women in the train were talking with each other when I heard: “she said she was only able to cope with it thanks to Wordfeud!”. So I asked what and how. They told me a friend last her grandchild first and later her daughter, they both agreed this is NOT possible in life […]
Why Play matters…
Best Quotes About Play & Learning (which I stole/quote from childsplaymagazine.com) “Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.” ~ Joseph Chilton Pearce (author)
Research: “video games can shape core components of human cognition”
As I always knew gaming can deliver more then only fun and enjoyment, it is now proven…. but still more research is needed offcourse… ; ) “Neuroplasticity is the ability of the adult brain to not only learn new behaviors and form new memories but to alter the underlying neural structures responsible for such learning” […]
Another great TEDx on gaming
Brenda Brathwaite: “Gaming for understanding” talks about gaming and play very clear… and the value of play, or the making of abstract (difficult) topics meaningfull in play. Watch this TEDxtalk:
Me & my mum on gaming: Max Magazine
Een artikel wat gamen voor ouderen kan betekenen in Max Magazine. Read the article here >>