flip it is a location-independent game collection that does not require many tools or materials. With flip it, the games can be played with everyday objects and interpreted in many ways. The games are explained with the help of flip books as moving pictures without language barriers. With flip it, people of different ages, financial means and backgrounds can be brought together and play together without having to understand the others language.
Cross-border/international
Germany
Other
Completely location-independent
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It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
My project, "flip it", is a location-independent game collection that does not require many tools or materials. With "flip it", the games can be played with everyday objects and interpreted in many different ways. The games are explained with the help of flip books as moving pictures without language barriers. With "flip it", people of different ages, financial means and backgrounds can be brought together and play together without having to understand each other's language.
For this purpose, seven simple games that are often played by children on streets in different countries were collected and translated into a simple graphic style so that they can be interpreted by everyone according to their possibilities in terms of location and material. In this way, the games not only stimulate the imagination, but also ensure that, in terms of sustainability, materials that are already available can be used again to play the games.
In addition to the seven flipbooks, there is an instruction booklet in which individual scenes from the game are reproduced in still images. There are also additional texts in four different languages that can be used but do not have to be used.
Orientation within the game collection works via the use of coloured markings. With the coloured dots on the flipbooks, you can find the matching still pictures in the booklet. Different players or groups have different colours and the blue colour that runs through the whole collection marks under which circumstances one has won.
"flip it" thus offers an overall concept for communication and interaction without linguistic and cultural barriers, through moving pictures for which no digital aids are necessary, and can thus have a great impact on many people in the world.
location-independence
language-independence
integration
reusability
fun
There are currently about 2 million tonnes of waste on Earth. This waste ends up on our streets, in nature and in the oceans, with serious consequences for the ecosystems of our planet and, with their destruction, global warming as a consequence. In many areas of our daily lives, we already try to reuse things and not throw them away after a single use. Many countries already have deposit systems, some have banned plastic garbage bags and shops where you bring your own container are becoming more and more popular. Furniture and mobile phones are refurbished and thus continue to be used for a few more years. And that is important. Because in order to save this planet, we have to be much more aware of the issue of waste, and not only when it comes to disposing of our rubbish. It is at least as important not to create so much waste in the first place.
When you buy a game these days, it comes in a huge box with plastic figures and sometimes even technical details like talking boxes or devices that pay you play money. And that is not sustainable at all.
That's why it was especially important to me to include as few materials as possible with "flip it". Because the objects needed for the games can be found around you. Some games can be played with sticks and stones, you can draw playing fields on paper, walls or floors with chalk or pencil. You can also draw them in the sand with a finger. You can also play the games with a rubber band, wire or a paper clip. With a marble, paper balls or with crown caps and buttons. This is not only a way to make playing many games affordable, but also to give objects a second life and thus contribute to saving our planet.
For me, design means creating something that serves people. It should have a benefit, an added value, a goal and a clear intention. And above all, I want to use this benefit for things that are important. For values that I stand for, or for issues that are important in our society. With good design you can make a difference.
Only with the help of clear design is it possible to develop a concept that is compact and based on a purely visual system. And that is the case with „flip it“. „flip it“ explains complex contexts like games only with design. With the help of the well elaborated design solutions, clear hierarchies, symbols, connections and a clear colour coding were created. And all this together is transported to the outside in a design so that the games collection conveys a playful impression and positive associations.
Much more important, however, are the emotions that go hand in hand with the content of „flip it“. After all, games can promote cohesion and create new friendships. The aim of „flip it“ is to create this cohesion across cultural and linguistic boundaries. With this collection of games, the personal background of the players is irrelevant because everyone can play these games and find all the necessary resources in their environment. This can lead to positive experiences with people or cultures with whom one previously had fears of contact and can eliminate prejudices.
With "flip it", design for all was not only thought of but also implemented, especially in the context of integrating different languages and cultures. Because the flip books are printed, neither an internet connection nor a device is necessary. This makes this collection of games easily accessible for many people, also in financial terms. "flip it" is particularly inclusive in the sense that it can be used by a lot of people, as there are no language barriers. The resulting consequences are not to be sneezed at. Since cultural and linguistic boundaries are blurred, "flip it" opens up a whole new space of potential players. It is therefore easier to play with people who may have prejudices or fears that can be changed by playing together. There is an exchange between the players, possibly only through sign language or a smile. In this way, interpersonal relationships such as friendships and more understanding towards other countries, cultures and people develop, which extend to everyday life. And friendships with people from other countries and understanding of their culture leads to less rejection of them in society. Such sympathies in the population can lead to less violence between groups. And that can only be desirable.
Due to the cultural inclusion of the project and the linguistic and financial independence, I definitely see a future application of "flip it" in the work with refugees. Both in refugee shelters and in language schools or in kindergartens and schools, it can help refugees make contacts more quickly and feel more welcome in a country. Even if the language skills are not yet sufficient for a conversation, "flip it" can already create interpersonal relationships. The games can help break the ice and create a sense of community. As a result, the refugees can feel integrated into society more easily.
The concept should encourage as many people as possible from civil society to get to know new cultures and to understand them better instead of distracting them from the outset and confronting people with prejudices. In the long term, the concept should contribute to more cohesion in the population. Especially in border regions or areas where different linguistic or cultural tribes live together. But also in the context of refugees, the concept can have a great impact on mutual understanding and acceptance of these people. It will be important that civil society also takes the step with the game collection towards other cultures and that the concept finds a place in many areas of public life, such as libraries, schools and youth centers. Only in this way can "flip it" lead to better cohesion and living together in the long term.
The project was developed together with test persons of different ages, genders and cultural roots. Therefore, it was possible to constantly check whether the concept can really work for many people. Without the help of the test persons, the concept would only have been a wishful thinking of a project. Without the precise observations of where possible problems lie, the project would probably never have been completed. I particularly appreciated the help of students from abroad, as they brought a different cultural background with them and sometimes understood arrows, lines and colours differently. This was not only very exciting to observe, but also very helpful for the development of the flipbooks.
During the development of the concept, design as a discipline was mainly part of the process. Of course, the concept was also tested again and again with different people in an attempt to improve it until it was confirmed that the concept worked. Among these test persons were students from abroad who tested whether the games could really be grasped purely visually and from different cultural backgrounds. This process of trying things out has been enormously beneficial to me. It was very enriching to experience when something that sounds good on a concept paper actually works. It was interesting to see how the different people approached the games or which places and materials they chose for them. I also had the support of my supervising lecturers at the DHBW Ravensburg, who always brought me back on track when I got lost in unimportant details. Through this project, I have rediscovered the joy of playing games myself and I also encourage my friends and family to play a game more often. Despite all the cultural background, one must not forget that a core competence of this game collection is also the fun of playing itself.
Conventional game collections come in a large carton, usually with a plastic insert that makes it easier to sort the contents in the packaging. It also contains many different game figures for the different games, as well as different game boards. The instructions usually cover several pages and show few pictures and a lot of text.
However, „flip it“ is different. The compact format and the appealing design mean that it can find a place in even the smallest flat. In addition, „flip it“ does not use any plastics or metals for the game pieces in order to protect the environment. The most outstanding feature of this game collection, however, is its instruction manual. „flip it“ proves that you don‘t need a novel to explain a game, just a few pictures. This means that it is not limited to a selection of languages, as is the case with conventional game collections, but rather gives everyone the opportunity to understand the games. In addition, „flip it“ gives more room for the players‘ own interpretations. So not only is time spent together, but creativity is also encouraged, for example when it comes to choosing a suitable location or materials for the games. In this way, new interpretations emerge again and again. That is the beauty of culture: the diversity it brings with it, which can also be reflected in the interpretations of the game. Unlike other game collections, „flip it“ therefore deliberately does not have an age limit. If a game is too complex for a child, for example, then he or she can perhaps interpret and play the game differently. This should not be seen as a problem. After all, who decides whether a game is played right or wrong? The restriction to a certain number of players is also waived. This is because the games can also be played in groups if one wishes to do so. „In other words, „flip it“ is not restrictive, but provides enough information to have fun with the games.
The goal is to bring "flip it" into as many regions of the world as possible and to add more games to the existing games collection. The games included in "flip it" are simple "children's" games that are mostly played on streets. So far, the concept includes only seven of these games, which have been visually reworked. In the future, however, the number of games will definitely increase.
I think the concept of flipbooks can also be transferred to other areas, such as assembly instructions or in education. Especially in the education of refugees, flipbooks can explain and show whole facts non-verbally and with simple means. They can also be used to support people with dyslexia or illiteracy, as the content is not presented in many words but in pictures.
The concept primarily aims to solve communication problems, cultural misunderstandings and prejudices and the resulting violence on a global level. In order to achieve this, the game collection is intended to create more understanding for other people locally and internationally by getting to know them and their culture better through playing.
In addition, the concept addresses the throwaway culture, and therefore does not include many materials. Instead, players assemble their game figures from the things they already own and thus give them a new meaning.
