Engaging mediums encourage thought

An engaging medium is one which brings the reader into active conversation with the material. It is a medium which encourages the reader to think, make, or act, beyond mindlessly consuming material.

It is difficult however to design engaging mediums. This could be because engagement takes effort on the part of the participant, or perhaps it is because we don't know how to design engaging mediums well. It is why many games have a tutorial, and some of the best designed games teach you naturally through gameplay. Games are inherently engaging mediums but only within the bounded world of the game.

Some research and progress towards engaging mediums:

In opposition with: Immersive mediums replace thought

Beware: Addictive mediums

Questions

  • What makes a medium addictive versus engaging? Is it just intent, or is there something fundamental about how the system is designed?
    • Addictive mediums construct desire, often around an agenda of profit. Conversely, truly engaging (perhaps engaging is not the right term anymore) mediums allow the participant to follow their own desires? The fine line between lies in kindly leading the participant rather than forcing a desire upon them.

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Engaging mediums encourage thought

Immersive mediums replace thought

In opposition with: Engaging mediums encourage thought

Games are inherently engaging mediums

Engaging mediums encourage thought, and games encourage active thought and strategization within the bounded world of the game. While playing a game we are actively learning a deep network of information and strategy, but this information often does little to transfer into real-world contexts

ʘ Open Design Challenges

Engaging mediums encourage thought

Three engagement factors

If I say that I was really engaged with something immersive, where do I draw the line? Engaging mediums encourage thought, but sometimes immersive mediums can also create thought...

Education should be structured around active learning

Schools today work primarily upon passive instruction, with lectures and pre-made materials the education system does not give students agency over their own learning. Engaging mediums encourage thought, and the current systems of passive instruction are not engaging students and they are left bored, unfulfilled, and creatively drained.

How to make writing engaging?

He gives both a tool (by prompting you to think about it) and a space (the example sentence). This creates curiosity and may lead the reader to count the number of errors, realize that there are only two, then understand that the third error is that there are only two errors. Throughout many of his books he creates curiosity and engagement by providing both a space and a tool to explore it (see: Engaging mediums encourage thought)