Supporting social pretend play with a virtual toy

Abstract

This paper presents selected results from a study designed to explore children's social pretend play in a virtual setting. Fourteen children (aged 5 -8) played in pairs with a mobile-based game implemented on an Apple iPad. Interviews and video transcriptions were used to assess three types of social pretend play, which included solitary, simple and associative. Our findings revealed the ways children engaged with the virtual toy and demonstrate social pretend play. We discuss the implications of these findings and provide a series of design implications for designers and researchers.