玩 = Wan.

Abstract

Traditional Chinese games were born free, have developed and transformed through the years from everyday activities. As such they have developed into a rich heritage that is closely related to the masses’ life. The richness in visual and cultural elements within these games’s has been a constant inspiration to me in my design, hence my choice to revive these elements through my Final Year Project (FYP). Everyone enjoys playing games. Games and the idea of play are not new to graphic designers and it is not difficult to understand why, as games allow the audiences to be engaged; it is an interactive medium for a two-way communication. Using the research on traditional Chinese games, I would like to reintroduce three chosen games: kite flying, the art of Qin Na and lantern riddles. The interesting thing about the Chinese Language is the fact that a single word can have multiple homonyms. This is also the very basis of lantern riddles played during the Lunar New Year. In the book The Chinese at play : festivals, games and leisure, Marion Eggert analysed the Chinese character “玩” (wan). He noted that the character refers to the act of play, especially for children. However, it can also have the meaning of being stubborn and nonchalant. In actual fact, in classic use, Wan refers to play without a purpose1. For the convenience of this report, the egagement of the traditional Chinese games or any other games will be refered to as ‘play’. The use of play in the concept will be refered to as ‘wan’. The target audience and people playing the deliverables I designed will be refered to as ‘players’.