A
Reclaiming Focus and Meaningful Play in the Age of Short-Form Media
Name
Mathias Algot Søllested
Education degree
Kandidat
Fagfelt
Design
Institute
Design and Visual Interaction
Program
Visual Design and Interaction, Visual Game and Media Design
Year
2026
🍁 🌿
[CONTEXT & THEME]
As short-form media fragments youth attention loops, digital ecosystems
🌿must pivot toward intentional child well-being. This research applies
the UNICEF RITEC Guidelines to champion child welfare and inclusivity
across digital spaces.
🍁
🌿
[THEORY & DATA]
By replacing mindless habit design with 'opt-in complexity', play
frameworks can actively scaffold cognitive focus. Empirical tracking
of player telemetry shows that introduction of choice-driven mechanical
friction stabilizes sustained engagement rather than causing frustration.
🌿 🍁
🍂
[RESEARCH CONCLUSION]
🌿
The findings conclude that balancing digital agency with sensory play
supports meaningful attentional divergence, establishing an industry
🌿 blueprint for developmentally beneficial mobile interaction.
🌿
🍁
Once More
[PROTOTYPE & GAME MECHANICS]
The accompanying mobile game prototype, 'Once More', instantiates these theoretical frameworks within a stylized fairytale aesthetic. By utilizing custom digging sites and a physical trailing inventory system, the gameplay introduces deliberate interaction pacing that counters impulsive tapping behaviors.
[OPT-IN COMPLEXITY IN ACTION]
Rather than locking progression behind forced retention hooks, players actively choose when to engage with deeper mechanical layers. This design architecture transforms standard mobile interactions into a self-paced, meaningful play loop that respects child agency and cognitive pacing.
Game Trailer
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The Royal Danish Academy supports the Sustainable Development Goals
Since 2017 the Royal Danish Academy has worked with the Sustainable Development Goals. This is reflected in our research, our teaching and in our students’ projects. This project relates to the following UN goal(-s)
