Research Project
“Erfahrung & Erlebnis”: Understanding the Bodily Play Experience through German Lexicon
This paper borrows two German words to help designers describe two distinct types of experience in physical games: conscious, knowledge-gaining experience versus deeper, felt "lived" experience. The distinction gives game designers a richer vocabulary for talking about what players actually go through.
Abstract
Bodily play systems are becoming increasingly prevalent, with research aiming to understand the associated player experience. We argue that a more nuanced lexicon describing "bodily play experience" can be beneficial to drive the field forward. We provide game designers with two German words to communicate two different aspects of experience: "Erfahrung", referring to experience where one is actively engaged in and gains knowledge from; and "Erlebnis", referring to a tacit experience often translated as "lived experience". We use these words to articulate a suite of design strategies for bodily play experiences by referring to past design work. We conclude by discussing these two aspects of experience in conjunction with two previously established perspectives on the human body. We believe this more nuanced lexicon can provide a clearer understanding for designers about bodily play allowing them to guide players in gaining the many benefits from such experiences.
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