Paper Abstract - Julian Barker

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ABSTRACT

An Investigation of Play Studies

Julian Barker

This is a quick overview to my short essay on 'play', I hope it brings into the field of video game studies the mass of research that has been done about 'Play' over the last 100 years. 'Play' is a great dea than the childish activity we may first think of.

I begin by looking at the dictionary definition and reflected that the term play has changed its meaning to a point where iss its original meaning of pure activity.

I go on to refer to the play theorists of

Johan Huizinga, who said that play is separate from normal life, is part of all culture, has rules and is only opposed by non-play that is defined by ethical boundaries.

Roger Caillois wrote that play is either organised or un-organised, competitive, chance, simulation or excitement.

Lloyd Reiber collated play as being voluntary, intrinsically motivating, physically involving and of make believe.

Brian Sutton-Smith form, progress, fantasy and self.

I present evidence that the serious value of play dates back to Plato over 2400 years ago where its connection to education was rooted within the language. Jean Piaget and Seymour Papert have recognised the value in this more recently and recognised the need for play to be part of a larger developmental cycle.

Freud's use of play in his psychotherapy is shown because of the way it empowers the player to control an activity and that it can raise otherwise suppressed issues. I link this to Andrea Breton, who took this technique and called it automatism; this was one of the techniques used by surrealists to access the subconscious. I call upon the zoologists Pfeiffer and Fagin, who observed the origins and connection between art and play and I conclude the essay by discussing Stephen Nachmanovitch's term 'Freeplay'. He recognised improvisation as a crucial aspect of play, I cite this to show how 'Freeplay' highlights the link between play and creativity completely.

My final comment recognised the similarity between the Sanskrit 'lila', that is the divine play of our perceivable world and Huizinga's stipulation that play was within all of our culture. I tried to show that the reason he was unable to do this was because his perception was biased with values of good and bad. To see every action as play means to reject both our tacit understanding of play and also to suspend our ethically orientated perce

I conclude by affecting a quote by Miyamoto,

"An adult is a child who has more ethics and morals. That's all" (Quote 22)

I convert this to, "Adult play is child's play with more ethics and morals. That's all".

Whether I am right to speculate this, whether Breton was true in using automatism to show the unconscious or Piaget was right to promote play in education will be discussed further. What seems most important here is to recognise that play is thought of as being more valuable than we may have first thought.

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