This paper presents the results of an empirical study of 32 adult dyads (i.e. groups of two people) engaged in pretend play. Our analysis indicates that participatory sense-making plays a key role in the success of pretend play sessions. We use the cognitive science theory of enaction as a theoretical lens to analyze the empirical data given its robust conceptual framework for describing participatory sensemaking. We present here five enactive characteristics of pretend play that appear to be necessary and sufficient for the emergence and maintenance of successful pretend play -mental preparation, meaning building, narrative enaction, narrative deepening, and flow maintenance. This enactive formalization is used to propose a computational model of pretend play that can be used to inform the design of an agent capable of playing in real time with human users.

The Viewpoints AI installation [2,3] attempts to create an interactive movement-based art experience that has almost no predefined instantial content. As opposed to focusing on designer-created content that reflects their specific view of an interactive experience, we have instead created a movement-based play space where interactors can freely dance with a virtual AI-based character named VAI, teaching it as they interact. VAI analyses interactor movements through procedural representations of the Viewpoints movement theory (from theatre and dance) [1] and improvises responses as an equal collaborator from its past experience with people. VAI uses this procedurally and experientially realized content to present an engaging movement-based experience that any audience member can walk up to and immediately begin dancing with.The Viewpoints AI installation uses shadow theatre as inspiration for creating a liminal space for the projected AI character and an interactor's shadow to co-exist within a real / virtual space. Interactors step in front of a spotlight that projects their shadow onto a large muslin screen. VAI is also projected onto that same space. Viewpoints AI, thus builds on ancient and new media forms, creating an experience that is a playful -but coherent -expression between both the interactor and VAI.

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