Map Making Game

Summary

A familiar postmodern technique for gaining fresh insight is 'making strange'—stripping away familiar assumptions to force new discovery. This paper argues that other documented avenues for such strange-making exist, particularly a body of interpersonal psychobiology studies that describe human society in game-structure terms, which remain largely unexplored in cartographic literature. It introduces this psychedelic analysis and proposes its application to contemporary explorations of maps and cartographic practice. The strategy offers a toolbox of tactics that can take any existing conceptualization of maps, mapmaking, map use, or cartographic practice and 'make them strange' for dispassionate examination and evaluation.

Study at a glance

Abstract

One of the most familiar postmodern strategies for bringing a fresh perspective to a familiar situation is that of “making strange.” Making strange strips off the veneer of familiarity readers have come to expect, and presents those readers with something they have to discover anew outside of whatever context they would, hitherto, have relied upon to provide pat answers. This paper proposes that other well-documented avenues for this type of strange making exist and deserve examination. Specifically, there exists a body of interpersonal psychobiology studies describing human society in game structure terms that remain largely unexplored in the cartographic literature. This paper introduces this psychedelic analysis, and proposes its application to contemporary explorations of the nature of maps and cartographic practice. What is proposed is a strategy and toolbox of tactics that can, properly employed, take any or all existing conceptualizations of maps, map making, map use, or the informed practice of cartography and “make them strange” so they can be dispassionately examined and evaluated.

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