Abstract

In this paper, we argue that mischief and naughtiness are important parts of the playful activities we engage in as part of our daily lives. Mobile devices, being intimate and personal objects that we take everywhere, already act as co-conspirators with whom individuals can share moments of social mischief. However, rather than being simply the medium for mischief, we propose that we can create applications that are specifically designed to allow the user to engage in mischievous or naughty behaviour. We describe two applications that enable mischievous forms of play in two different social contexts: international airports and academic conferences.