Play Matters

<b>Why play is a productive expressive way of being human a form of understanding and a fundamental part of our well-being.</b> <p/>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<i> Play Matters</i> 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. <p/>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. <p/>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.