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To be honest, what I love about legos is the free play aspect. When I play with my kids, (now 8 and 10), I find that the key thing is not what pieces we have (

by ttcbj 4y ago

To be honest, what I love about legos is the free play aspect. When I play with my kids, (now 8 and 10), I find that the key thing is not what pieces we have (admittedly, we have a lot of pieces), or instructions, but developing some theme or challenge. The theme could be ‘space’ or ‘under water’ or ‘I’m going to build the taller possible leg structure’ or ‘I’m going to build a vehicle that can be blown across the floor with a fan.’ Once they have a theme, they will do amazing stuff. Also, I believe it’s important to have a big slush pile of pieces. It’s amazing how much builds change when your are scrounging for piece X, and you see piece Y and think, actually… I see that this app is technologically interesting for the developer, but it doesn’t address my core problem: inspiring kids to get started on free creativity. For that, I’d more like a Lego theme of the day app, maybe slightly inspired or guided by the kids ages or genders. If I did that, I’d have the kids submit pictures of their results, and use those over time to assess and improve the quality of my suggested themes at different ages and Lego piles sizes (there is your AI, if you must). The pitch would be ‘inspire your kids to new creativity.”

adv0r 4y ago
agree on everything you said. Father of 2 (2 and 4 y/o) here, trying to introduce them to lego. I find the app fantastic for learning and inspiration, because I suck at lego and building with blocks myself. It can be turned into a super supa parenting tool, for lame parents like myself.
worldsayshi 4y ago
I think that the best way to learn is to combine free play with trying out other designs. That's the best way to learn how to achieve the designs you want to make.
yreg 4y ago
When I was younger I would build a set, play with it for a while while modifying it. And after that it would be never built again, because it would disintegrate into the giant collection of bricks I had, used to build custom cities. Perhaps with the exception of trains, which I used to rebuilt close to the blueprints. Now that I'm old, I'm not in the mood to build custom LEGO structures anymore, and I have some builds (e.g. ISS) that are exactly by the manual and just sitting, looking pretty on furniture. I think my younger self would be disgusted. :)
sandworm101 4y ago
Lego + social media. People now want to build "good" lego. They want to post pictures/clips for likes/views, which for some translates into money. They need stuff that is all the right color. They want it to be in proportion. This tool will allow them to see what is possible so that they can start a complex build knowing they have the bits to finish it. This is modern lego building. "Lego is like minecraft, but with a hard limits on the number and type of available blocks."
SkeuomorphicBee 4y ago
My preference towards free-play, and opinion against guided-play (following manuals) used to be similar to yours. But my sister made me realize how much that my earlier guided-play was essential to develop my fundamental building skills that allowed my later free-play to thrive. My sister inherited my Lego box but with no manuals, so she only ever knew free-play, and she describe her experience with Lego growing up as frustrating and fruitless, of wanting to build things but not knowing how to even start, because she lacked many fundamental skills. So I realized a basic truth of pretty much all skills and hobbies: guided play or formal training are not enemies of free creative play, quite the opposite, they fosters creativity by opening many new avenues. Every musical composers or great jazz improvisers started by playing someone else's music.
- solardev 4y ago
  Well put.
- sircastor 4y ago
  I once tried to join in on some jazz riffing at Christmas. In spite of being a capable player, I really could not successfully contribute. I didn’t have the appropriate practice of improvising to be successful. I really should’ve learned those blues scales my music teacher had given me. I guess my point here is, you’re right. The fundamentals are important. Both the guided and the free.
- carlivar 4y ago
  When was this? As a kid in the eighties, there were few unique bricks. Squares, rectangles, varying thickness. Maybe two types of wheels and tires (these were prized above all). I wonder if the specialization of bricks since then has contributed to that "totally lost" feeling. I look at our pile and it's mostly specialized doodads and widgets for who knows what Star Wars thing a few years ago.
  - drewbeck 4y ago
    As an 80s kid I made a lot of the same spaceship over and over, even with the limited set. I coulda used some more ideas!
xani_ 4y ago
The thing with creativity is that it is not just "inventing things out of thin air". It's picking thru the vast archives of things we've seen and did our brain has and applying it in different way. Guided building is basically filling that archive with ideas that can be used or changed "Theme of the day" or just "pick a theme for me" might be interesting, but so is just getting some random schematic that might not even fit in what you'd search for in the first place
telcal 4y ago
I can't be the only one but free play/build gives me a TON of anxiety. It's like I become paralyzed and my mind just goes blank. I have a young son with a couple tubs full of lego pieces. OTOH, I love to build Lego kits with directions. I could do it for hours... it becomes meditative.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

by ttcbj 4y ago

adv0r 4y ago

agree on everything you said. Father of 2 (2 and 4 y/o) here, trying to introduce them to lego. I find the app fantastic for learning and inspiration, because I suck at lego and building with blocks myself. It can be turned into a super supa parenting tool, for lame parents like myself.

worldsayshi 4y ago

I think that the best way to learn is to combine free play with trying out other designs. That's the best way to learn how to achieve the designs you want to make.

yreg 4y ago

When I was younger I would build a set, play with it for a while while modifying it. And after that it would be never built again, because it would disintegrate into the giant collection of bricks I had, used to build custom cities. Perhaps with the exception of trains, which I used to rebuilt close to the blueprints. Now that I'm old, I'm not in the mood to build custom LEGO structures anymore, and I have some builds (e.g. ISS) that are exactly by the manual and just sitting, looking pretty on furniture. I think my younger self would be disgusted. :)

sandworm101 4y ago

Lego + social media. People now want to build "good" lego. They want to post pictures/clips for likes/views, which for some translates into money. They need stuff that is all the right color. They want it to be in proportion. This tool will allow them to see what is possible so that they can start a complex build knowing they have the bits to finish it. This is modern lego building. "Lego is like minecraft, but with a hard limits on the number and type of available blocks."

SkeuomorphicBee 4y ago

My preference towards free-play, and opinion against guided-play (following manuals) used to be similar to yours. But my sister made me realize how much that my earlier guided-play was essential to develop my fundamental building skills that allowed my later free-play to thrive. My sister inherited my Lego box but with no manuals, so she only ever knew free-play, and she describe her experience with Lego growing up as frustrating and fruitless, of wanting to build things but not knowing how to even start, because she lacked many fundamental skills. So I realized a basic truth of pretty much all skills and hobbies: guided play or formal training are not enemies of free creative play, quite the opposite, they fosters creativity by opening many new avenues. Every musical composers or great jazz improvisers started by playing someone else's music.

solardev 4y ago
Well put.
sircastor 4y ago
I once tried to join in on some jazz riffing at Christmas. In spite of being a capable player, I really could not successfully contribute. I didn’t have the appropriate practice of improvising to be successful. I really should’ve learned those blues scales my music teacher had given me. I guess my point here is, you’re right. The fundamentals are important. Both the guided and the free.
carlivar 4y ago
When was this? As a kid in the eighties, there were few unique bricks. Squares, rectangles, varying thickness. Maybe two types of wheels and tires (these were prized above all). I wonder if the specialization of bricks since then has contributed to that "totally lost" feeling. I look at our pile and it's mostly specialized doodads and widgets for who knows what Star Wars thing a few years ago.
- drewbeck 4y ago
  As an 80s kid I made a lot of the same spaceship over and over, even with the limited set. I coulda used some more ideas!

xani_ 4y ago

The thing with creativity is that it is not just "inventing things out of thin air". It's picking thru the vast archives of things we've seen and did our brain has and applying it in different way. Guided building is basically filling that archive with ideas that can be used or changed "Theme of the day" or just "pick a theme for me" might be interesting, but so is just getting some random schematic that might not even fit in what you'd search for in the first place

telcal 4y ago

I can't be the only one but free play/build gives me a TON of anxiety. It's like I become paralyzed and my mind just goes blank. I have a young son with a couple tubs full of lego pieces. OTOH, I love to build Lego kits with directions. I could do it for hours... it becomes meditative.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]