Sak Acur, Mine; Sailer, Kerstin; Penn, Alan; (2024) The climbing frame game: Primary school children's games as a tool for understanding spatial laws within social contexts. In: Proceedings of the 14th International Space Syntax Symposium. (pp. pp. 1-29). Space Syntax: Nicosia, Cyprus.

Text SakAcur_Sailer_Penn-2024-ClimbingFrameGame-SSS14.pdf - Published Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 8 December 2024. Download (7MB)

Abstract

This paper investigates the interplay between play, spatial understanding, and social interaction among children in playgrounds, focusing on a game invented for a London-based primary school's climbing frame. Building upon Certeau's concept of tactics, which describes how individuals creatively and subconsciously navigate and manipulate systems to achieve desired outcomes, it aims to examine how children employ spatial tactics within games to reach social outcomes. Employing a mixed-methods approach that includes space syntax analysis, 3D viewshed analysis, interviews, and video recordings, this research investigates the spatial strategies and social dynamics using a cimbing frame game as a case study. To address the challenge posed by the climbing frame's three-dimensionality in spatial analysis, a method is devised to convert it into a weighted-and-directed graph. Findings reveal an interconnectedness between the structures governing the game and those governing space, with each influencing the other as children engage in gameplay. By practicing through play, children learn creating rules, managing power dynamics and controlling access to overcome social problems. Furthermore, certain locations for certain functions in the game have a spatial logic underneath, contributing to the game's strategy. Essentially, it shows that the intersection of the spatial and social aspects within games mirrors a microcosm of society, providing insights into the dynamics of space and human interaction.This research contributes to the broader discourse on the relationship between play and space, suggesting that play is not only a medium for physical activity but also a critical context for children to explore and understand the interplay between space and human behaviour.

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