Tick Tack蛙䖯
Augmented Reality Game｜color｜Estonia
TickTack 是一个以 阈限空间（liminal space） 为核心的艺术实验项目，通过数字木偶戏、AR游戏与物质剧场，探索“过渡性”这一哲学概念的多元表达。项目以AI 与爱沙尼亚民间传说中的混沌生物（KRATT）为灵感，构建了一个介于虚实、动静、记忆与未来之间的模糊领域。TickTack is an artistic experimental project centered around liminal space, exploring the multifaceted expression of the philosophical concept of transitionality through digital puppetry, AR games, and object theater. Inspired by AI and the chaotic creatures of Estonian folklore (like the KRATT, a mythical treasure-hunting automaton), the project constructs an ambiguous realm straddling the boundaries of the virtual and the real, movement and stillness, memory and the f uture. Players interact with 3D-scanned retro toys together with ai generated creatures in an augmented forest, where fragmented ecological parables and rhythmic game mechanics dissolve fixed notions of materiality. The project reimagines objects as “digital idols,” oscillating between static sculptures and algorithm-driven motion, while probing a haunting question: In liminality, does fiction become truer than reality?
Logline
Deep within a forest guarded by a giant frog, players can walk around to uncover hidden secrets from the locals, all while evading dangerous tick attacks.
Players can interacte with various characters and collecting information cards detailing the area’s flora, fauna, and folklore. Successfully meeting all the frog locals without being attacked by ticks within a time limit is crucial.
Narrative Mechanism
The information cards reveal deeper layers of the game’s narrative, gradually building an ecological worldview and uncovering personal tales interwoven with Estonian folklore. The player actively shapes the story through their choices and actions.
Trailer ｜1 min｜color｜Estonia
AR Gaming test ｜4 min 31 sec｜color
Credit
概念构想 Concept：孙逸阳 Yiyang Sun
前期开发 Predevelopment : Yiyang Sun; Joel Joevee；Ken Säde
动画 Animation：孙逸阳 Yiyang Sun
游戏搭建 Unity：Taavi Varm
合成 Composite：Taavi Varm；孙逸阳 Yiyang Sun
音乐 Music：Maarja nuut
声音设计 Sound Design：Maarja nuut; Joel Joevee
“As a child, I twisted, turned, scratched, shook, and bumped my toys, striving to discover their innermost essence. However, when I truly opened them, I found them to be empty. Where is the soul?
As an adult, with the rise of digital technology, children’s play became increasingly virtual, granting new powers to the possessors of these toys. In light of the rise of AI, where will children’s games head next?”
——Sun
abstract
It is the way that Imagery from “toys” encodes “ Idolls ” through games and tales that most interests me—due to their changeable scale and their reliance on manual manipulation both virtually and in reality. This fascination extends to their subversion of the principle of utility, which is more diffuse in their doppelgängers (duplicated bodies) and deformation, once again, reflecting philosophies of play. This article outlines the process of creating the game by integrating my collection of dolls and frog toys with Estonian folklore about frogs and the Kratt, along with the application of AI and Augmented reality games. It’s a “fick” toy game specially designed for adults.
Narrative element
The Giant Frog: This central figure, inspired by the Põhja konn (Northern Frog) from Estonian folklore, represents both a protector of culture and a dormant ally waiting to be awakened. Põhja konn has fallen asleep and can only be awakened by ten thousand men calling his name using “snake-words” .1
As the number of humans who know these snake-words has dwindled to single digits, this appears to be a rather forlorn hope.However, we decided not to directly adopt this original story but to retain the frog’s image as a guardian. Our goal is to build an open worldview related to the frog tribe within the game, allowing players to create their own tales through a personalized gaming experience—one that seems virtual but truly embodies folklore in a surreal narrative. Therefore, the core story of the game will revolve around a giant frog in a forest. Its dual nature reflects the complexities of identity and the environment.
Põhja konn Sculpture & Snow Sculpture by YiyangSun
The Ticks : Estonia is one of the countries where tick-borne diseases are quite common, and ticks are a testament to the country’s rich natural environment. “However, considering that Tallinn is the green capital of Europe, we cannot really combat biodiversity. Ticks are part of that diversity. We need to learn to coexist with them and be mindful of our actions” 2 said the research fellow.These symbolize the risks and challenges inherent in both the natural world and the process of uncovering hidden truths. Their presence adds a layer of realism
the Kratt illustration
The Kratt: Borrowing from Estonian mythology, the Kratt—a magical being who serves as a treasure-bearer—serves as a metaphor for the complexities of artificial intelligence (AI) and its influence on our lives. Its creation from everyday objects echoes the game’s focus on transforming ordinary things into powerful symbols.
The Kratt Illustration
The Balloon Doll Avatar: In the late 1950s, toys from the Shanghai Kangyuan Toy Manufacturing Factory were extensively traded for export. In 2024, during my master’s studies at EKA, I continued my toy collection and acquired a “Little Sister Taking Pictures” doll designed by Guoqing Yang at the second-hand toy market, Balti Jaam, in Tallinn. After 3D scanning it, I incorporated this doll as an avatar for players in the game “Tick Tack,” transforming its metallic material into a balloon doll. If the doll is attacked by a tick, it will deflate, and as it moves, the balloon doll must also navigate according to the natural rules of the world, contending with wind and gravity. It’s a constant reminder of the game’s theme: the transformative power of imagery and the ephemeral nature of our understanding.
The Kratt Illustration
The "I"
in between the Digital Idol:
The Idolatry and Simulacra in"TicKTack"
The I in AI under the New Materialism
As a game designer, animator, and player, my goal is to balance AI, realistic natural environments, and the surreal open-world narrative of folklore. According to the metaphor of Kratt as a modern form of AI linked with Tick, I intend to incorporate AI in the development of this narrative by using Midjourney and Tripo AI together with my illustrations to shape the characters within this world of toys, including frog ticks, frog mushrooms, and frog plant locals.
In the 1990s, “New Materialism” was introduced by philosophers Manuel DeLanda and Rosi Braidotti. “New Materialism”views matter as self-generating, contingent, complex, and an actively open system. Matter is no longer seen as opaque and solid but as constantly changing and reconfiguring, possessing adaptability and resistance. This concept challenges anthropocentrism and dissolves the human/non-human binary’s privilege of humans. From this theoretical perspective, terms like old media and old material are unfounded. The distinction between old and new is a judgment derived from a historical and temporal analysis rather than an agency-driven consideration from the perspective of matter itself. Matter has its own narrative.4
From of new materialism, the so-called new AI technology and the new material generated by the chemical reactions of old recycled toys could have their own narratives. What we can call “things” must be tangible, material, and spatial, whereas time-based, immaterial, and those partly AI-generated interactive objects cannot be considered “things”; rather, they are more of a situation: they exist in a state of potentiality and possibility, are shareable, and await activation by a subject.This also serves as the theoretical background for my practice of ProRegress action, where I incorporate AI-generated toys as the “I” subjectivity in the process of narrative practice that alternates between the new and the old in game design.
The “I” in a thing begin from ritual
A Thing is an independent idol, Extrapolating from Agamben’s ideas,
“Things are not outside of us, in measurable external space, like the neutral objects (object) of use and exchange… Like the fetish, like the toy, things are not properly anywhere, because their place is found on this side of objects and beyond the human in a zone that is no longer objective or subjective, neither personal nor impersonal, neither material nor immaterial, but where we find ourselves suddenly facing these apparently so simple unknowns: the human, the thing.”5
It is clear that he posits toys are abstracted from both the diachronic dimension of time, as they originate from rituals (everything old, regardless of its sacred origins, can become a toy), and the synchronic dimension, as they are modeled after objects from the utilitarian, economically driven aspects of everyday life (objects that still belong to the realm of cars, pistols, etc., are transformed into toys due to changes in size and scale).
Agamben also references the object relations psychology of Winnicott, particularly the concept of the “transitional object”, acting as a bridge – a mediating point between the self and the world for children. In this way, toys can become idols that exist independently of temporal and spatial dimensions. Consequently, augmented reality proves to be an ideal medium for this game; it creates a unique temporal and spatial dimension that showcases the world inhabited by the toys and dolls. In the game “Tick Tack,” the giant frog and the miniature jumping tick meet the toy doll, allowing players to interactive with and retell the tales anew.
The “ I ” in the Idolls and Digital Cloning Toys
In the design of the game “Tick Tack,” I utilized 3D scanning to create digital representations of a celluloid rubber frog and a Shanghai-manufactured tin doll from my collection at the Balti Jaam Antique Shop. This process yielded digital doppelgängers of both the toy and the doll, posing a layered riddle akin to t1he first layer of a Russian nesting doll. Through this, I aim to raise questions for the player regarding the nature of authenticity: Are these toys ‘originals or copies’?6
This inquiry resonates with contemporary adult imaginations and addresses postmodern concerns about simulacra—copies or representations of things that may no longer have an original （for example the AI）. In postmodern theory, simulacra illustrate how our culture is saturated with images that blur the lines between the real and the imagined.
In this context, the fascination with dolls and toys serves as a reflection of these themes, as they embody artificiality, playfulness, and the manipulation of identity. The focus on simulacra elements highlights how these objects challenge traditional notions of authenticity and utility, inviting a deeper exploration of their roles in cultural and philosophical discourse.
The literary theorist Bill Brown compellingly argues for a materialist perspective on the ‘thingness’ of objects, suggesting that their qualities extend beyond mere materialization or practical use to include excessive attributes that confer a sensuous or metaphysical presence. According to Brown, it is this quality that allows objects to transform into values, fetishes, idols, and totems. Through this lens, “Tick Tack” invites players to taste the mystery layers behind the toys . As an augmented reality (AR) game, we must also remain vigilant about the experience of “playing” and the authenticity of representation. Much like the ticks that lurk in the forest, even in the cold of winter, they never truly slumber; instead, they lie in wait around us, ready to spring into action. We are the manifestations of balloon dolls, and the balloon dolls are also our avatars—a layer of skin, if you will. Yet, one cannot deny their real existence. This duality underscores the complexities of identity and representation within the game, challenging players to confront their own perceptions of reality and artifice.That’s why the theme “imagery encodes idolls” intertwines the words “idol,” “doll,” and “I,” emphasizing their interconnectedness.
CConclusion
When I walk into the antique shop, I feel that the toys are both endearing and pitiable. You want to rescue them from their dusty tombs, but this act of monetary redemption merely transfers the dolls and toys from one grave to another—your own dusty basement. “Toys do not have to be seen as synonymous with childhood; neither are they necessarily light-hearted in their implications—folded within them there are ritual and cultic implications that we have lost sight of.” Toys, in this sense, have been naturalized within our society; their ubiquity, as part of commercial mass culture, means that we have lost a sense of their peculiar nature as objects.
The Toy has the ability to act as an independent idol, abstracted from time, which facilitates a connection between the self and the world, embodying complex meanings beyond mere play. How can we truly play joyfully with these toys? Perhaps we could grant agency to the dolls and toys themselves, allowing the medium to activate the narrative. Through the practice of toy representation, I began to explore imagination and portrayal, raising questions about authenticity in toys through digital cloning while also examining the interplay between reality and artifice.I believe that surrealist toys will embody a rich inner life.
In conclusion, this is my practice :to create magic encounters between outdated toys and adults who no longer play with them, without feeling loneliness and retell tales together through the game.
CITE
1.Howard, A. (2022, September 20). Põhja konn, The Northern Frog. Extinction Studies DTP. https://extinctionstudiesdtp.leeds.ac.uk/pohja-konn-the-northern-frog/
2.Lass, L. (2023, September 25). Study: Most city ticks in Estonia carry dangerous pathogens. ERR News. https://news.err.ee/1609111499/study-most-city-ticks-in-estonia-carry-dangerous-pathogens
3.Chen Guotai. Chinese Toys. Shanghai: Sanlian Culture Publishing House, 2021. p. 193.
4. Coole, D., & Frost, S. (Eds.). (2010). New materialisms: Ontology, agency, and politics. Duke University Press.
5. Agamben, Giorgio. 2007. “In Playland: Reflections on History and Play.” Infancy and History: On the Destruction of Experience, trans. Liz Heron, 79. London: Verso.
6. Brown, B. (2004). Thing theory. In B. Brown (Ed.), Things (pp. 5). Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.