Muni's PlayModern Theories of Play
The Secret of Life
“This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.” — Alan Watts
Definitions
- Wiki: Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities. It is often interpreted as frivolous, yet the player can be intently focused on their objective.
- Johan Huizinga (Homo Ludens): A free activity standing quite consciously outside “ordinary” life as being “not serious” but at the same time absorbing the player intensely and utterly.
- Eric Zimmerman (The Rules We Break): “Play is all about that vulnerability, about being responsive, yielding to the moment.”
- Bernard Suits (The Grasshopper): “The voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.” (See: Lusory Attitude)
Benefits and Structure
- Benefits of Play: Learning, Identity, Empathy, and Resilience.
- Flow State: The liminal space between boredom and anxiety.
- Defined Boundaries: The “Magic Circle” where rules create freedom.
Play can also be thought of as an intentional gap in a system, intended to handle expected deviation within certain tolerances.