This is a key concept I use in teaching, tutoring, and other areas.
Play is:
- Inquisitive: taking an object, a ruleset, or another system and exploring what can be done with it
- Adaptive: reflecting on what doesn’t work and remixing it
- Improvisational: making choices and exercising kairos, or seizing opportunity
- Fun: pursuing enjoyment in an active and engaged way
Play can be as simple as asking a wide open hypothetical question (“How can we rewrite this excerpt in the voice of Kermit the Frog?”) and offering suggestions and elaborations on it, rather like the improv principle “Yes, and.” Collectively, we explore possibilities and stretch our existing skills through play.
Sometimes play can be silly, but it can also be quite earnest and exploratory, like when you brainstorm approaches for outreach for an organization you care a lot about, or you scour a student handbook to figure out whether you can accomplish another minor before graduating. These situations are not games, but the ability to navigate sets of rules and make decisions crosses over frequently into our actual, embodied lives.
Thus, I do bring games into classes. I also bring activities that allow for free input, sometimes with more structure and guidance, and sometimes more free in form. My overall goal is to build facility with navigating spontaneous tasks or new situations through the principles of play.