The augmented bushwalk: contemplative play across digital systems and natural worlds

This research investigates how location-based augmented reality (AR) can alter our experience of bushland settings. While sound has been the primary mode of digitally mediating natural environments, the potential of augmented and mixed realities in these settings is less well understood. Through a practice-based methodology the research develops and analyses a prototype of an experimental mixed reality game titled Epiphyte. It proposes that contemplative play can be adopted to relate digital systems with the natural world, presenting five play design principles that demonstrate how location-based AR can support new place-making practices that re-shape our experience of bushland settings.