[Open Class] Games for Change: Play Methods for Social Innovation by Larissa Hjorth, Distinguished Professor (RMIT University) and Visiting Professor (Center for the Study of CO* Design, Osaka University)

*This project is a portion of the "Design for Social Innovation B" course that is open to the public. Design for Social Innovation B is part of the "collaboration skills" provided by the Center for the Study of CO*Design.

Creativity involves making something new and valuable. It is a core aptitude contributing to social innovation. Research has found that the very creative people approach everything with an almost child-like sense of play.

In this session, we will explore one potential tool - games - that can enhance both creativity and playfulness. You will learn the principles of game design and working together you will deploy your own games elaborating different ways to innovate socially.

You will understand how games for change allow us to test new ideas about the real world in the safety of game play. Game making and game playing provide an opportunity to deepen your skills around collaboration and communication.

Please bring ideas for games and let's brainstorm!

Bio: Professor Larissa Hjorth is an artist and digital ethnographer in the School of Media & Communication, RMIT University. Since 2000, Larissa has been researching the gendered and socio-cultural dimensions of mobile media and play cultures in the Asia-Pacific.