In the beginning
Lynn Hughes and Nina Czegledy conceived an analogue card game—later called the Different Abilities project—at the Technoculture Art and Games (TAG) lab, Hexagram, Concordia University, Montreal. The proposed a card game aimed at exploring ideas and issues related to various physical and mental abilities/disabilities. “Ability Jam” the first brainstorming event took place on May 2nd - 3rd, 2014 at Concordia University. Following thematically related presentations and a participatory discussion group participants preceded to prototype various games. The results of “Ability Jam” were so promising that a decision was made to further develop the idea. Concurrently, Lynn Hughes was invited to curate a games related exhibition and workshop the Different Abilities card game at Transitio_MX 06 in Mexico City.
January 2014
November 2014
A tale of two cities
Nina Czegledy invited Lynne Heller and Judith Doyle to form a collaboration between OCAD U and the TAG lab to develop the Different Abilities card game for presentation at the Transitio_MX 06 workshop. Lynne Heller recruited students, Anna Lew and Martin Shook from the department of Graphic Design in the Faculty of Design, OCAD U. Judith Doyle suggested involving Robin Len, an artist and designer with acquired brain injuries (ABI).
Dobble Debate emerges
The design of the cards as well as the game structure progressed further. The Toronto and Montreal teams crafted different versions of the game in order to expand the workshop potential. At the TAG Lab in Montreal, under the guidance of Lynn Hughes, Gina Haraszti and Iqrar Rizvi, game methodology was furthered. Initially, the team at OCAD U adopted the title “Upside Downside” for the game before finalizing the title “Dobble Debate”.
January 2015
July 2015
Going international
Dobble Debate was first formally workshopped at Transitio_MX06, a festival of new media and video that took place in Mexico City in 2015. The game went on to be presented at numerous events, inviting audiences to participate and contribute feedback towards the development of the game. Fabiola Hernandez Cancino, a MITAC intern at OCAD U, assisted in the translation of the text on the cards into Spanish.
Further refinement
Over the subsequent three years the design and information offered on the cards was refined and augmented. We responded to critique of the cards and new developments in games and pedagogy. Through our international workshops we gathered ideas about developing the game through the use of technology and different game structures.
September 2015
June 2018
Co-Creation opportunities
In the spring of 2018 we learnt that we were the recipients of a Partnership Engagement Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of the Government of Canada. With this support we launched a new round of workshops to continue exploring ways of addressing dis-and-differing abilities and gathering feedback on game methodology, particularly how to use digital technology to address a wide range of abilities.
The next wave
Our future research questions include the following: How does the embodied experience of AR/VR, lead to a deeper understanding of other people’s differences? How can design methods, co-creation and research-creation within 3D environments help to develop knowledge exchange of dis and differing abilities? How can the technologies of AR/VR allow us the communal experience of humor and imagination that are an essential element in breaking down barriers to understanding?
June 2018
Event Chronology
Workshop and Exhibition, OCAD University, Toronto, CA
September 25, 2015
Workshop and Presentation, Transitio_MX 06, Canart University, Mexico City, MX
October 1 & 2, 2015
Exhibit, OCAD U Continuing Studies Gallery, Toronto CA
November 18, 2015 - January 25, 2016
Presentation, Research Rendezvous, OCAD University, Toronto, CAanada
January 18, 2016
Presentation, ArtSci Salon/LASER Toronto, Toronto, CA
March 30, 2016
Panel Presentation, The 17th Annual Convention of the Media Ecology Association, University of Bologna, Bologna, IT
June 24, 2016
Workshop and Presentation, The Multimedia Cognition Art-Therapy International Conference, Guanajuato, MX
November 11, 2016
Workshop, ISEA2017, Manizales, CO
June 11, 2017
Workshop, University of Guanajuato, Salamanca Campus, MXMexico
December 14-16, 2017
Workshop, Student Night, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto, CA
September 20, 2018
Series of SSHRC funded workshops, OCAD University, Ryerson University, Toronto, CA
July - October, 2018
Presentation, Visiones Sonoras , CCMAS, UNAM, Morelia, MX
September 27, 2018
Graphic Novel Workshop, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, MX
October 1, 2018
Presentation, CAC.6, University of Guanajuato, MX
October 10, 2018
Workshops, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, CA
March, 2019
Workshop and Presentation, [get name of Jackie’s lab] University of Conventry, Coventry, UK
May, 2019
Workshops and Presentations, Laznia Cultural Centre, Gdansk, PL
May, 2019