Smell – Workshop

Simon started of by going through the different game examples that were in the paper to get our minds set into smell-based games and to show how we can implement smell into games. Before we got our design assignment, we did a couple of experiments in the workshop – recreating two smell-based games and shooting scents with vortex cannons!

Recreation #1

Rosewater “bombs”: A seventeenth century play where eggs were emptied and then filled with rosewater. Then the ladies threw them at each other to erase the unpleasant smell of their cosmetics (Niedenthal, 2012, p.7).

We were given an empty egg to fill up with rosewater, orange water amongst others, using pipettes. Simon had already prepared the eggs to be filled, but we had to seal it ourselves. It was made easily with some paper and wax. After this our job was to recreate this play! The “bomb” (egg) suggests some different forms of affordances such as being tossed, rolled, smashed, spinned etc. Our group decided, as we were four people we could toss it each other. The play was about standing together with one feet connected to the others, then we tossed the egg to each other clockwise, when one circle was done, we took one step back and so it went on. It was an ordered play as we applied some rules to it. 

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The play created both excitement and anxiety as one wanted to be able to catch the egg without breaking it, and this sensory impression became even more increased for every step we took backwards. I think this tension of excitement and anxiety is what made this play fun to experience. Also, I was afraid of getting smelly, if the egg would crack in my hand I would get all the orange water on my arms and possibly clothes. If there would be water in it, then I would instead be afraid of getting wet. So the difference is that when having a liquid scent inside, I was more afraid of getting smelly even though I would get wet. This also makes us kind of invested in the egg, we only have one and we don’t want to break it because then one of us would get smelly and the game would be over.

I assumed the egg would break when catching it from a longer distance but it held better than expected. I enjoyed recreating this play but it would be even more fun to throw at someone ;). However, this showed me how fast we can make simple recreations of plays/games using scent.

Recreation #2

The second recreation was of a simple ancient smell game called Kobo. The game is about correctly identifying scents and testing the ability to remember similar scents. We were supposed to identify three different scents, the first round was in one order, and the second round the scents came in another order.

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I thought the scents were actually quite different from each other and therefore it was easier to distinguish them. Also, we were told to close our eyes while smelling since the scent liquid could be identified (e.g one were more yellow than the other). When he revealed the order of the scents, I had managed to get it right. I was also able to identify 2/3 scents, success! However, there was one scent that I couldn’t identify – nutmeg. I like these kind of games because it makes it is testing my personal abilities and therefore I want to do the best I can.

Vortex cannons

For the last experiment we used vortex cannons to deliver scent at distance. Vortex cannons are used to project smell in a targeted way from distance, and I was surprised over how great they worked! It was easy to aim for specific targets, it was possible to control the pace of the vortex rings (i.e how hard you pushed them out of the cannon). From this, I realised how easy it can be to deliver scent at distance in a playful way. We could just put a couple of drops into the cannon (filled with smoke) and shoot it.

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Yes, it all got mayhem as the entire class wanted to shoot vortex scent rings all over the place!

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To what sort of game activities does smell lend itself when mediated by a vortex cannon?
Our group thought of using it for a dodgeball-like game, if you get hit you have to guess the scent. If correct, you become the shooter!
Another example could be to try and steer/lead a blindfolded person through a room or anything, by shooting scents at them. By applying each scent to a specific direction, the person would be able to know when to go straight, left, right or backwards.

I think that these activities are really nice to have before being given a design assignment, it helps me to get in to the mindset. Also, I feel that it helps starting of my creative process by being able to think of ideas while doing things in the workshop.