Generative Play

Adria Navarro-Lopez

Generative Play, a series of card games designed with autonomous algorithms, proposes a new approach to game design: one that takes advantage of digital printing to mass produce individual graphics for every printed object.

http://adrianavarro.net



Instead of producing 10,000 copies of a single document, new digital printing technologies enable us to print 10,000 customized pieces at a very similar cost and without slowing down the printing process. If used for game design, we would be able to create games that featured different text and graphics every time they were printed, making them unique in the world.



For my thesis, I used techniques from computational art to develop custom software that outputs an infinite number of card designs, ready to be printed individually. Through a series of game prototypes, I explored the interactions and play mechanics that emerge from this new design approach, as well as the value of uniqueness in affordable, mass produced goods.