Plays on a metamorphosis of contemporary electronic toys into arts by transforming unique codes attributed to objects and subjects via ubiquitous numerological processes.

ToyGenoSonic MAKES THE PLAYERS DISCOVER the invisible heart of commodities in urban space. ToyGenoSonic’s notation consists of the mathematical representation of player movements, objects and locations of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) numbers. The interaction-concept plays with the fact, that RFID tags are found in key cards, city transport tickets, ID-cards. Each found RFID tag has a unique number, which generates sound on the Nintendo DS game console by numeric processes that drive the sound synthesis. With an extended game-console, after inserting the artisan Ludic Society’s pataboard tag-reader into the toy’s slot, the player can generate a RFID number specifi c sound, by holding it over a tag. As expanded game console the sharply inclined front-shield becomes an art collector’s item!

Alternate Theory Objectives – Game Fashion and Urban Play!
“(Ludics) tantalisingly offers a new approach to under-standing play through the process of play itself. Here we find play used as a conceptual catalyst for theoretical thought. In drawing on the ‘pataphysical, it presents a parody of scientific and philosophical concept-ions, or a science of emerging solutions, that functions as playfulness itself.” (Emma Westecott/ Andreas Jahn-Sudmann, In: Eludamos, issue1, 2007)
Ludic Society constitutes as arts research affiliation, a social game system to develop a new discipline on play and cultures. Its emphasis lies on Futility as resistance by the investigation of actual philosophical toys as objects of desire. The association is active since 2006, it actually gathers together 54 socialites. This proposal addresses the introduction of the Ludic Society affiliation as game system in the field of games and play research. An experimental approach of Ludics as “Alternate Theory” conception, rooted in game arts practice and game design education, as worked out in the Game Design programme of the University of Arts and Design Zurich.
Part two would present innovative forms of both, art, design and theoretical research as Ludics, a playful gaya scienza (Nietzsche), illustrated by the LS’ alternate reality VISUAL CODE fashion and QUICKREAD PERFORMANCES 2009, ludic-society.net/sema.
Devices as symbolic vehicles, contemporary PHILOSOPHICAL TOYS, are presented in museum and gallery exhibitions and as game projects from 2007 to 2008, which accompanied the recent five issues of the ludic Society Magazines in print and online. Implementations in alternte reality games: Objects of Desire. 2008. RFID Judgement day for First Life Game figures”. Borgesian Psychogeographic Collective Mapping game, ludic-society.net/tagged.
“Ludic Society Blitz Play”, ludic-society.net/blitz (NDS, audio software for RFID tag street concert). Game Fashion: ludic.priv.at. Workshop with Naba Fashion Institute Milano: gamefashion.org
OBJECTS/toys: Electronic Wunderbäumchens, ludic-society.net/tagged/objects.php
Home Brew NDS software, NFC software, RFID-readers, EM zappers, absurd self etched electronic circuit
boards. The conducting paths become a design element of Ludic Interfaces, New Bachelor
Machines;PhiloToys: ludic.priv.at/ludicwheel/index.php?target=photo
GoApe Chindogus ludic-society.net/play/objects.php

The Ludic Society constitutes as international association (54 members, founded 2006) to provoke Ludics as emerging investigation discipline, which ironically follows inverse trajectories of toy and mobile technologies culture to cause an effect of awareness in the critical constitution of a society, in which the shifting increase on games and gadgets, smart objects, technical objectiveness of the subjects (RFID implants, blobjects, „blog-jects“ etc.) can be indicated as phenomenon of a crisis of reality constitution abilities of the individual in the society in general. Real Play is investigated as phenomenon, which transfers the rules of play into real life, as statement and as reaction to indicate western societies as game systems of power, as evident in the world economic fall of capitalism in 2008. Ludic Society as arts project features combinatory, metamorphosis devices. aesthetic experiments on the electronic layout of toys towards plays on identity of the artists and players.

In contemporary “Ludic” realities the presenting artist performs in her arts practice as 1st Life Game Figure. The lecture will include a video of the art-game “Judgement day for 1st Life Game Figures”, Plymouth, UK 2007, including a chip implant session of a subcutaneous Radio Frequency Identification Tag, RFID, declared as “toy” by the performers/players. The introduction of tracking and tracing technologies, gadgets like GPS or WIFI scans as contemporary “toys”, or even more its detection as integrated part of Standard Model toy gadgetry, in Game-boys or NDS consoles, is demonstrated by works, which integrate this
technologies in urban games from 2007-2008.

As general description of the argument, this thinking-layout will cover crucial elements of play culture investigation and will suggest possible solutions in a detected lack of discourse and joyful practice in the design, art and reception of games, play and toys. ludic-society.net/desire

The final point indicates a new genre, to introduce 1st Life Game-figures”, which was labelled by the artist as “game fashion” (2006). Absurde ‘pataphsyical and neo-situationist plays in the “reality engine”, (expect a presentation of the WIFI mapping game Objects of Desire, Gijon, 2008), will sumup conclusions for players in everyday life, in relation to omnipresent subject-object alterations.

Warables without wires, “gamefashion sans fils”, will be introduced. Such toy-dresses transform players into toys themselves. Their movement patterns can be identified by everyday mobile gadgetry, uploaded to a collective gathering place, in Web2.0. Accordingly such Game 3.0 VISUALLY CODED GAMEFASHION, integrate the construction of an Avatar by 1st Life data-traces and misuse geographical mapping systems, like “Google” maps, as Game-maps and metaphors.

PLAY_OBJECTS
What role does the individuality and subject plays in relation to the artefacts, either in materialised Internet of Things (Kranenburg, 2008) or in synthetic worlds games: On one hand Japan’s costume players generate their own communities and incorporate a reality shaped by the new more-way mass media games. On the other hand the Internet of Things declares each commodity and each object as an elaborated entity with its own history and traceable time and way of nascence. The presentation tries to show how these individual worlds of things affect and subsequently change the role of the subject object dualism.

As first step objects and subject relations in toy worlds will be clarified. The so called Internet of Things must not only be considered as playground for commodity logistics, but as constitutive element of „Subjectivation by Dingpolitik“. In this theoretical construct the Thing indicates a gathering place for the community. Similarly virtual play-grounds are a Thing, a community play fetish inside the game of life, filled with objects of desire.

Such contemporary evidence of the link of the construction of subjectivity to toys draws attention towards toys as political “Things”. The cultural scientist Bruno Latour (2005) describes the THING in its etymological meaning and in its political tradition, as gathering place, comparable to a magic circle of play. This social gathering is triggered by objects, by things, which differentiate its opposing realities of self perception in social platforms, whereas the technological toys intrude the subjects skin.

A new paradigm shift is expressed in an unexpected turn towards the „real“, expressed and incorporated in a new consciousness, focusing on materialism. Spheres of electronic networks are made conscious by the means of objects and things, called Spimes, Blogjects, Smartifacts (Sterling, 2006). In the following toy objects shall be addressed as semi-material objects, which serve as vehicle to present the shift of selfconsciousness. In actual games and Online Worlds toys are properties of shape shifters, play-forms of multifacetted self, as expressed in Avatar environments. Metaverse conceptions offer another level of playerconsciousness, formed by the use of synthetic objects. The semi-material toy of actual techno-gadgetry, as a Nintendo DS game console, Iphone, or a Nokia N95 communicator with 3G sensors of WII consoles inherently hold this semi-materialism between a synthetic object and a material toy.

Introducing Ludics / The Ludic Society / Ludic Society Magazines
Ludic methodology must be rooted in theory and applies principles of play as modus operandi. Its emphasis lies on the futility of actual western culture gadgetry rush. Beyond the focus on ostensible toy object accelerando as objective, lays the self reflexive observation of the meta-game of establishing a metascientific society, which constitutes in a collaborative structural play and communicates in its specific Lingo terminology and means and vehicles of publication.
Ludics as emerging investigation discipline ironically follows inverse trajectories of toy and mobile technologies culture to cause an effect of awareness in the critical constitution of a society, in which the shifting increase on games and gadgets, smart objects, technical objectiveness of the subjects (RFID implants, blogjects etc.) can be indicated as phenomenon of a crisis of reality constitution abilities of the individual in the society in general. Real Play is investigated as phenomenon, which transfers the rules of play into real life, as statement and reaction indicating western societies as game systems of power. The poetic method of Ludic texts applies aphorisms as introduced by Nietzsche.

An Action Research Model by Toy Object/IF/ES
Ludic socialites create a special T.A.Z., a Temporary Autonomous Zone (Hakim Bey), which under Ludic banners is further developed as extended game zone, as a T.E.Z., a Temporary Entertainment Zone, in urban and social realities. Its tools and toys are magazines in print, sites online and public interventions in between different spheres of action (play-game-culture-online-First Life). These principles and exemplary games are elaborated since the affiliations foundation in November 2005. The society’s membership still continues to grow. On that point we must express severe gratitude to all contributing personalities and condividualities for their willingness to play the game, to enter into the constraints of Ludics for the merits of a scientific play. As introduced, Ludics implies experiments in playful ways of discourse and reflection on the world of designated toy objects as gaming reality – and by releasing such toys for field studies! The rising use of the term Ludic is considered as a proof of evidence by the Ludic Society researchers. alised material universe of smart objects yearns for a radical antipode: Tous les enfants parlent à leurs joujoux!

Ludics applies the logics of arts but is poaching in the fields of a ‘patascience, materialising “solutions potentielles”, on game and play cultures. It gathers a variety of contributors with expertise in arts, theory, curatorial practice and gaming.
Each theory issue is accompanied by a practical project, an urban game or public intervention, including Geographical Mapping Systems, War Chalking Games supported by NDS standard model game consoles, electromagnetic toys. Printed circuit Boards were given ISBN numbers and used as new publication format, to bring different systems of discursive power to glitch. As “Dispositive” LS members develop new bachelor machines, objects and Game Fashion.

Toy Objectives / Theoretical Toys
In 2007 the first Ludic manifesto was published in Eludamos, a new renowned European game studies magazine. Posters and papers were held at game studies circles like DIGRA, Digital Games Research Association, Tokyo University and 2008 at the Collége du ‘pataphysique daughter Snowball Association in Sierre/Valais. Does this mean that Ludics unfolds as emerging academic discipline? Logically enough this can be refused. Its strategic discourses, bizarre SM couplings of topics, poetic syntax and content are unique and schismatically distinct from established game arts theories. Such methodology provokes unexpected jumps in the science program of the anatomy of games culture. Method and matter produce plain weird but scientifically convincing results to the selfish personal ple/ay/sure of Ludic socialites — a subject/object branch to Fishkill to honour Père UBU!

History
The affiliations periodical in print, the Ludic Society Magazine, appears with international articles on jouissance, joy and jeux. The magazine was presented at 2005 Neue Galerie Graz, 2006 salon transmediale Berlin and Centre Conde Duque Madrid, 2007 Art Centre Plymouth, Tweakfest Zurich, and DEAF Rotterdam Evening Of the Ludic Society, 2008 at Homo Ludens Ludens Gijon and transmediale 08 in a Ludic Society Control Room. Ludic methodology verbalises as poetic statement in neo-pataphysical text, games and toys.
Issue # 1, 2005. Ludics. New Bachelor Machines. Graz/Madrid.
Issue # 2, 2006. Real Players. Ludic Interfaces. Vienna/Zurich.
Issue # 3, 2007. Tagging the City. Plymouth/ Zurich
Issue # 4, 2007. Metaverse and World3. Zurich/ Vienna
Issue # 5, 2008. Objects of Desire. Bari/ Vienna

As addendum it should be mentioned that the project did start in 2005 with the presentation of an installation called “Ludic Society Traces”, exhibited at Neue Galerie Graz and Centre Conde Duque Madrid. Comparable to an ethnographical museum, in baroque vitrines artisan etched toys, made of printed circuit boards were shown together with a LS magazine. The toys were electronically, networked among each other into one kind of materialised Rube Goldberg Machine; in fact they ere technologically working but emantically useless interfaces to game technologies. We called them GoApe Chindogus. The frontispiece of issue one of the Ludic Society magazine (2005) listed the Ten Tenets of Chindogu (Kawakami). The ironic description focused on futile but beloved objects, without any established value in society. Its proximity to the gift in the tradition of Potlatch became seminal for the claim of Ludics. Finally, in 2007 Second Life Lollies were printed as currency of the Ludic Society. At DEAF Rotterdam visitors did get real Surinam food at the Las Palmas warehouse for this colonial Orbis Tertius (Borges) Third World currency, the LS Lolly.

The Ludic Society as Affiliation
was launched in conjunction with artists, theoreticians interested in the practice of play as strategy in everyday life, especially in relation to a growing culture of ubiquitous computing toys and a phenomenology, subsumed under “Real Play”. The emphasis lies on the investigation of a playful methodology to raise awareness about the rules of play simmering into our nowadays Ludic Societies. Indicator for that are mobile gadgetry as phones and game consoles and its abilities to scan personal access data, trace users towards the establishment of a complete World3, a Orbis Tertius as living reality, which is by no means as free and open as Constant (1968) described a new ludic society. The invisible cities architecture, theoretical and discourse focus is paralleled with a line of experimental alternate reality, urban games and ubiquitous computing games. Out of that content focus a network did grow since the affiliations foundation with 6 members to actual over 50 international renowned members from the field of game -arts, -studies, philosophies and theory. The connection and discourse among members is established by the publication of the club periodical, the Ludic Society Magazine in print, paralleled with a on line version, featuring dynamic topics. The main strategy was to link a practical collaborative game art work to each issue edited. According to this thematic trajectory, new associates and members join in with each issue. By this way also a respectable network of instiutional affiliations was achieved.

People and Socialites
The Ludic Society still grows, active recruitment takes place with each new issue to be released. Membership is a matter of affinity and friendship, a purely subjective decision among peers; its only objective precondition is an engagement of the aspirant to some submission to the Ludic community or to Ludics as emerging discipline, at least in the form of a statement for one of the publications. Even with the activist implantation of RFID chips members were recruited, as subversive subcoutanous Real Play statement. Editors of the first 5 magazines were Jahrmann/ Moswitzer, which must/will not necessarily remain like this.
Random selection of some actual active affiliates, random order: Ilias Marmaras, Jonah Brucker-Cohen, Doris Carmen Rusch, Stewart Home, Martin Howse, Natasha Vita-More, Alessandro Ludovico, David McConville, Martha Blassnig, Konrad Becker, Edward Castronova, Roy Ascott, Cynthia Haynes, Marina Grzinic, Beat Suter, Wolfgang Fiel, P. M. Ong, Mr. Ministeck, Ernst Strouhal, DJ GLow, Mathias Fuchs, Maia Engeli, Max_Oh, F.E. Rakuschan, Gordan Savicic, Mike Phillips, Tatiana Bazzichelli, Nikos Bubaris, Eleni Myrivili, Duncan Shingleton, Günther Hack, Julian Oliver, Geoff Cox, Kristian Lukits, Joasia Krysa, Olli Leino, McKenzie Wark, Aileen Derieg, Dr. Joachim Maier, Daphne Dragona, Siegfried Zielinsky.

Society Chapters
The Society is Hell’s Angels like organised in “chapters”, in Vienna, Zurich, Spain or Plymouth. As the bikers club tuned their machines the Ludits tune absurde hard-ware devices, like SM standard model game consoles, GPS, or NFCmobile phones, to over-clock game concepts as reality concepts. Ouvroir as French term for garage used by the ‘pataphysical society, inspired another motto of Ludics, to develop Ouvroirs Ludic Potentielles, OU/LU/PO! In Ludics one declares certain constraints, in short games, as production principles of poetic work. Then Ouvroir is epistemologically rooted in ouvrir (=open), which lead to Real Play experiments in open living forms, artes liberales, establishing sexual relations and bands. As Temporary Entertainment Zones, these appearances disappear in the moment they are established: In honour to Hakim Bey the LS releases TAPZ, temporary autonomous play zones!

“Most recently, the Ludic Society has been developing absurd interfaces for gaming and performance. Their current work involves aesthetically redesigning circuit boards so they become fashion objects and can also be performed as musical instruments. This challenges the normally unquestioned functionality, utilitarianism, and inscrutability of not only circuit boards, but also the objects they enable and therefore represent. As something that typical mortals cannot understand, technology has acquired an almost spiritual mystique and therefore a position of power in contemporary culture. By twisting (figuratively and literally) the circuit board into something quite different and unexpected, the Ludic Society turns assumptions about technology’s cultural role on their head.“
Amy Alexander, San Diego

Objective xxxxx: Wave-Objects
Inspired by game consoles and handhelds, the Ludic Society developed a series of new bachelor machines and neo-’pataphysist objects. Their launch was heralded by a series of PCB Chindogus, Printed Circuit Board objects, 2005 to 2006. These garage-works were accomplished by Wunderbäumchen aether refreshers in spring 2007, followed by a subcutaneous RFID bijoux implant in a gallery space in England, as activist statement. Several City walks and war drives, guided by cabal satellite maps followed as performances on Dérive and Détournement. The technological lie was achieved by the application of Kaballa rules on read RFID numbers as Alternate Reality constituting elements of a game. In winter 2007 in a urban game by the LS at Piksel Norway, firmware flashed game consoles for city walks were connected to customized RFID reader toys. Public interventions paralleled game fashion, to culminate in futile toy objects.
A hitherto immaterial culture has changed into a ubiquitous one, made of smartifacts, blogjects, spimes. This re-materialised material universe of smart objects yearns for a radical antipode: Tous les enfants parlent à leurs joujoux!

Alternate Reality Engine
The Ludic Society commutes theory and transformative play as strategy in everyday life, especially in relation to a growing culture of ubiquitous computing toys and Real Plays. Parallel with the emphasis on the investigation of a playful methodology to raise awareness about the rules of play simmering into our nowadays Ludic Societies, to mobile gadgetry as phones and game consoles and its abilities to scan personal access data and trace users towards the establishment of a complete World3, a Orbis Tertius as living reality, which is by no means as free and open as Constant (1968) was describing a new ludic society. The invisible cities architecture, theoretical and discourse focus was paralleled with a line of experimental alternate reality, urban games and ubiquitous computing projects.