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Play Matters - Paperback | Diverse Reads

Play Matters

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Why play is a productive, expressive way of being human, a form of understanding, and a fundamental part of our well-being.

What do we think about when we think about play? A pastime? Games? Childish activities? The opposite of work? Think again: If we are happy and well rested, we may approach even our daily tasks in a playful way, taking the attitude of play without the activity of play. So what, then, is play? In Play Matters, Miguel Sicart argues that to play is to be in the world; playing is a form of understanding what surrounds us and a way of engaging with others. Play goes beyond games; it is a mode of being human.

We play games, but we also play with toys, on playgrounds, with technologies and design. Sicart proposes a theory of play that doesn’t derive from a particular object or activity but is a portable tool for being—not tied to objects but brought by people to the complex interactions that form their daily lives. It is not separated from reality; it is part of it. It is pleasurable, but not necessarily fun. Play can be dangerous, addictive, and destructive.

Along the way, Sicart considers playfulness, the capacity to use play outside the context of play; toys, the materialization of play—instruments but also play pals; playgrounds, play spaces that enable all kinds of play; beauty, the aesthetics of play through action; political play—from Maradona's goal against England in the 1986 World Cup to the hactivist activities of Anonymous; the political, aesthetic, and moral activity of game design; and why play and computers get along so well.

ISBN-13: 9780262534512

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: MIT Press

Publication Date: 10-27-2017

Pages: 170

Product Dimensions: 5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)

Series: Playful Thinking

Miguel Sicart is Associate Professor at the Center for Computer Game Research at IT University Copenhagen. He is the author of The Ethics of Computer Games and Beyond Choices: The Design of Ethical Gameplay, both published by the MIT Press.

What People are Saying About This

Gonzalo Frasca

In Play Matters, Sicart shares with us a fascinating toy chest full of concepts, ideas, and observations on the most elusive subject in game studies.

Brendan Dawes

Play is undoubtedly the most important part of any creative process; in fact it is the creative process. Miguel Sicart shows time and time again why play is something that must be taken seriously, why it leads to better, more beautiful, more considered work, and ultimately why play does indeed matter.

Endorsement

In Play Matters, Sicart shares with us a fascinating toy chest full of concepts, ideas, and observations on the most elusive subject in game studies.

—Gonzalo Frasca, ORT University Uruguay

From the Publisher

Play Matters opens a door into our increasingly playful world. It frames the world of play and playfulness just enough to create a coherent image of these fundamental forces, without spoiling the fun. It opens a way into this world, inviting the reader to engage, creatively and intelligently, in the design of an even more playful future.

—Bernard De Koven, author of The Well-Played Game and A Playful Path

Play is undoubtedly the most important part of any creative process; in fact it is the creative process. Miguel Sicart shows time and time again why play is something that must be taken seriously, why it leads to better, more beautiful, more considered work, and ultimately why play does indeed matter.

—Brendan Dawes, designer, brendandawes.com

In Play Matters, Sicart shares with us a fascinating toy chest full of concepts, ideas, and observations on the most elusive subject in game studies.

—Gonzalo Frasca, ORT University Uruguay

Bernard De Koven

Play Matters opens a door into our increasingly playful world. It frames the world of play and playfulness just enough to create a coherent image of these fundamental forces, without spoiling the fun. It opens a way into this world, inviting the reader to engage, creatively and intelligently, in the design of an even more playful future.

Table of Contents

On Thinking Playfully vii

Acknowledgments ix

Instructions for Reading This Book xi

1 Play Is 1

2 Playfulness 19

3 Toys 35

4 Playgrounds 49

5 Beauty 61

6 Politics 71

7 Architects 83

8 Play in the Era of Computing Machinery 93

Notes 103

References 143

Index 157