This chapter introduces design games as a sociological approach in connection with the framework of communicative constructivism (CoCo), integrating material thinking into empirical research. By creating rule-based, material environments, design games foster experimental engagement with socio-material dynamics, providing a “magic circle” that enables embodied interaction with real-world issues. Using the game Windschatten as a case study, we illustrate how design games combine sociological theorizing with practical design, exploring themes such as collective agency, resource distribution, and cooperation. Design games highlight the reciprocal relationship between materiality and theory-building, overcoming the epistemic dualism between analysis and synthesis. CoCo's emphasis on mediatized social practice aligns with this “hands-on” approach, where the movement and manipulation of objects facilitate new insights in knowledge production. This method not only enhances the empirical rigor of sociological research but also provides a transdisciplinary framework that bridges design and sociological thinking, enriching the understanding of communicative construction in social dynamics.
Grenz et al. (Thu,) studied this question.