Why Play?
"Play is critical not only to being happy, but also to sustaining social relationships and being a creative, innovative person." Stuart Brown
What is Play?
Play isn't an activity but a state of mind, therefore we need to be in the proper state to experience play. It is voluntary, exists everywhere and can be experienced by everyone. The more we experience play, the easier it is to fall into a play state. Play is not real life, there is order, rules and it often involves secrecy.
Play is difficult to define as it takes many forms. For some, play may be reading a book and others a rigorous game of football. For this reason, we will look at characteristics of play activities and how to identify play behaviour.
Some properties of play include:
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Purposeless (playing for the sake of play)
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Voluntary
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Inherent attraction
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Freedom from time
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Diminished consciousness of self
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Improvisational potential
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Continuation desire
Why is Play Important?
Play contributes to our happiness and productivity. As adults, our daily demands take priority of our ability to play, but small doses spread through our lives and improve everything we do. Play improves our relationships, brings joy to the most dreadful activities and provides us with fresh insights. As animals, we are biologically programmed to play. It sculpts our brains, prepares us for real-life situations and brings joy.
Individuals who are life-long players are well-adjusted and safe; the experiences of play continue to prompt neurogenesis throughout their lives. It is central to the well-being, adaptation and social cohesiveness of adults. People who play are less prone to dementia or other neurological issues, less likely to experience heart disease and are more creative. Denial of play over long periods of time brings darkness and lack of sustained pleasure, therefore "When we stop playing, we start dying." (Brown, 2009, p.73).
Types of play
There are many different types of play:
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Body and Movement
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Object
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Imaginative
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Social
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Friendship and belonging
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Rough-and-Tumble
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Celebratory and Ritual
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Storytelling and Narrative
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Transformative-Integrative and Creative
Have you been missing play in your life? Here are some tips for how to experience play within your daily tasks:
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Choose a task that can be completed, that is goal directed and bound by rules
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Create a competition for yourself or with others
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Concentrate on what you are doing
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Choose something that allows you to loose track of time
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Find a task that is not too challenging and not too easy
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Start small, play for smaller periods of time and build up your duration
References
Brown, S. (2010). Play: How it shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow.
Eberle, S. (2014).The Elements of Play: Toward a Philosophy and a Definition of Play.
American Journal of Play. 6. 214-233.
Huizinga, J. (1955). Chapter 5: Nature and Significance of Play as a Cultural Phenomenon. The Game Designer Reader.