September 25, 2015 - 16:38
The problem with play is that it’s childish. Or so people say. Play is more often than not seen as a waste of time, an activity that only immature humans partake in. Adults, on the other hand, are critical of this seemingly useless activity and are envious of a kid’s ability to play so mindlessly. However, play experts Tim Edensor et al. and Robin Marantz Henig discuss in their essays Playing in Industrial Ruins and Taking Play Seriously, respectively, that play is not limited to children. In fact, our whole definition of play is skewed. Play is not the opposite of work; the line between them is blurred such that play is as productive as work and work can be as fun as play. It is useful in that it not only helps advance social skills, creativity and productivity, but it is a destressing outlet, essential for people of all ages.
“Work hard, play hard” is a motto that many people live by. This is a problematic phrase, as it clearly defines that work and play are two separate entities, when they simply are not. In fact, it is a common misconception that has led to the difference in roles between adults and children. Adults are encouraged to do work in order to lead a purposeful life. Children are allowed to play, as they are too young to do work. This is where the problem lies. While it is true that play can seem unstructured and thus seem unproductive, it is certainly not the opposite of work. In Edensor’s essay Playing in Industrial Ruins, he discusses that there are definitely “a wide range of diverse playful practices that blur distinctions between productivity and pointlessness”. He argues that many times, work and play overlap, and the activities that we choose to do don’t have to fit neatly into either category, but can transcend both. An example of this type of a productive “playful practice” would be hobbies that are usually deemed to be worthless but have long term benefits, such as video-gaming. While it may seem like a waste of time to exist in a virtual world, the skills learned through these games can transfer over to the real world. Studies have shown that video-gamers make more precise surgeons (they make an average of 32% fewer errors) and can be good for improving various cognitive functions. So, a seemingly meaningless act of ‘play’, when looked at from a broader perspective, can actually be a productive activity. In this case, the line between work and play is definitely blurred. Though the video-gamer had the short-term goal of simply playing a game and passing some time, he/she was in fact honing their skills for future careers and paths. In a sense, this is an example of playful work. It proves that work and play coexist in a harmonious cycle, wherein a lot of the things that we do can be both work and play, simultaneously.
The definition of play is not the only difficult thing about it. Perception of what demographics are allowed to play can cause problems as well. Children, for example, are encouraged to spend most of their time playing. This perception of play changes as children get older. With age comes responsibility, and people are expected to be making use of their time in every way possible. Because we have such a narrow view of play, anything that is defined as such is looked down upon if it is done by an adult. Oftentimes, iadults can be envious of a child’s ability of play, as seen in the short post by Purple on Serendip called The superpowers of imagination. In this short response, Purple claims that she was envious of the three-year old child that she was babysitting for being able to imagine endless possibilities in the stories that she was making up. While this definitely rings a chord with anyone who has spent time with a child, it is also unfortunate that we praise children for being so highly imaginative, when adults, with their more complex brains, should have the ability of being more creative. This is perhaps due to a lack of medium through which we can express our ‘inner child’ and be creative simply for the joy of being creative. If adults were allowed to play without worrying about being able to prove that they were being productive, this would definitely change the views on how children are seen as productive. Of course, the envy that we feel of a child’s creativity could also be a result of our own upbringing, where we were forced to suppress our own creativity in favor of doing other more structured activities, and therefore lost our natural ability to express ourselves in the way children do. It is unfortunate and incredibly sad that we view playfulness as something unproductive, as it results in the loss of our natural playfulness.
Play needs to be reassessed by all humans, both by definition and by who gets to partake in play. It is important to realize, as Edensor and Henig both argue, that play can be productive and useful. Perhaps it is not as obvious in the short run, but in the long run, the effects of play are countless. Play is work, just as work can be play. It all depends on perspective. Moreover, play is not solely for children. While children are encouraged to play, being envious of their right is an invitation to join them. Children are not the only creative ones; adults can be just as creative, as long as their creativity is not suppressed by turning away from various forms of play in favor of something more ‘productive’