Playfulness and play are deeply rooted in human life. All people play in all cultures and in all times. Play is even older than humans as many animals play two. Plays also are subject of study because it evokes all kinds of questions such as, what exactly is play? Why do we play? Do we play just for fun? Or does play have other functions in our lives? Play theory attempts to answer these kinds of questions. In this video, philosophy Professor Jos de Mul will first provide the origins of play theory. Then he will define play by giving its six characteristics. Finally, he will discuss the function of play in our culture. Play theory has a long history. About 25 centuries ago, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus already reflected on the playful character of the universe. However, especially in the second half of the 20th century, play has become an important object of study in disciplines such as biology, psychology, and ethology, the study of animal behavior. In the last decades, we have witnessed the development of play theory as an independent discipline. One of the founding studies of play theory is the book Homo Ludens, published in 1936 by the Dutch cultural historian Johan Huizinga. According to Huizinga, play is not just a frivolous activity. It is a primary category of life and constitutive for culture as such. This means that play and culture are closely linked in Huizinga's own words, "Culture arises in and has play and never leaves it." In Homo Ludens, Huizinga gives the definition of play. Summing up the formal characteristics of play, we might call it a free activity, standing quite consciously outside ordinary life as being not meant. But at the same time, absorbing the player intensely and utterly. It's an activity connected with no material interests and no profit can be gained by it. It proceeds within its own proper boundaries of time and space, according to fixed rules and in an orderly manner. It promotes the formation of social groupings which tend to surround themselves with secrecy, and to stress the difference from the common world by disguise or other means. This definition contains six characteristics. Let's take a closer look at them. First, play is an expression of human freedom vis-a-vis both nature and morality. Like beauty to which it is closely related, play is this interested? It contains its own course and meaning. It's an interlude in our daily lives. This does not mean that it's only fun, because if we are immersed in play, we often play with holy earnest. Second, play is not meant. It refers to an activity of just pretending. Playing is pretending acting as if. Third, play is immersive in the sense that it is absorbing the player intensely. It is accompanied by a feeling of exaltation and tension and followed by mirth and relaxation. Fourth, play is distinct from ordinary life both in terms of locality and duration. It is characterized by a specific limits of time and space. The so-called magic circle is not only a spacial circle, but a temporal one as well. Fifth, the rules that constitute the play world are crucial to the concept. All play has its own rules. They determine what holds in the temporary world circumscribed by play. As soon as the rules are transgressed, the whole play World collapses. Whereas the cheater still pretends to play, and in doing so, still acknowledges the magic circle and cycle, the player who transpases against the rules or ignores them is a spoil sport. Sixth, play creates it's order into an imperfect world and into the confusion of life, it brings a temporary, unlimited perfection. Play is indispensable for the well-being of a community, factum of cosmic insight and social development. We will summarize these six characteristics for you in an animation. Do you remember playing as a kid? One would be the fearless night, the other the beautiful princess in need of saving. There in that small kingdom, anything could happen. Shady bandits had to be captured and you would have to fight the most dangerous of monsters like this fiery dragon. Even your mom bringing ice cream couldn't distract you. You kept on fighting and for what really? Does it matter? It was magnificent. Until of course, obviously, that's not something princesses do. The next day it would all continue. Studying the six characteristics of play in depth brings us to the important question about the function of play. In order to be able to live our human lives in a meaningful way, we have to understand our world, our fellowmen and ourselves. Playing can help us to develop the necessary skills and insights to play the game of life successfully. This cognitive function of play has been studied since the 19th century by biologists and developmental psychologists. Play can prepare human juveniles for adult life, and different forms of play have different functions in developing disparate spheres of adult life, varying from practicing motor skills and competition to exercises in imagination. Moreover, play both helps us to acquire specific skills and insights, as well as enhancing the flexibility of behavior. As it helps us learn to switch between and improvise with all behaviors and prepares us to deal with the unexpected. In summary, we could say that playing enhances our adaptive variability. In this sense, playing is an utmost serious matter. Though this may have been characteristic for human life and play from the very beginning, the need for it seems all the more urgent in our present age, characterized by rapid changes, increasing complexity and reflective uncertainty. Exercising would openness and developing playful identities and to keep playing as an adult seems to be more crucial now than ever. Fortunately, in our age, digital media provide all affordances for serious play. This can be attributed to their multimedia, interactive, virtual and connective character. We should not only think of playing computer games, but also, for example, of the playful usage of internet and smart phone. In short, digital media have disclosed a whole new domain of serious play.
