The concept of "ludology" (or the study of play) has recently become quite a popular concept in academic fields. This is largely due to its use in the emergent field of video game studies. Many of these studies draw on the work of the Dutch academic, Johan Huizinga who wrote the now classic text, Homo Ludens in 1950. This book has become a standard in understanding the nature of play in our culture.In preparation for exploring the 'play' ground of youth in at-risk communities, I thought it would be beneficial to share just a bit of the first chapter of this key work. Play is a common element in both humans and animals. It seems to be something God created us all to naturally do... And even in the most violent and hostile environments - whether a war-zone, an impoverished community, an inner-city street, a post-industrial town... we find kids playing... Something us adults should maybe try to do a little more! (actually, which we probably already do, but deny!)
I was reminded of this recently when we were in inner-city Newark with Project 1:17 for 10 days. While there, a bunch of the young teens would go onto the (gang-/drug-infested) streets to throw a football around. These same kids one day went to the local 'playground' to play, but ended up being assaulted at gun-point (!) and robbed - being forced to lie face-first on the cement-floor of this 'kid-friendly environment'.
When this occured, these kids didn't stop playing. They didn't decide to stop playing footbal. They just now played 'on the street' outside of The Salvation Army house - the only 'safe' play-ground in the neighborhood...
Play is good. It's vital. It's something which we do. It's something which is therapeutic. And as a result, it's something which is vital for youthworkers to understand (academically, practically, psychologically, - even theolgically!) when working with at-risk youth.
Enjoy!
From Ch.1: Nature and the Significance of Play (with a focus on children's games)
"In culture we find play as a given magnitude existing before culture itself existed, accompanying it and pervading it from the earliest beginnings right up to the phase of civilization we are now living in. We find play present everywhere as a well-defined quality of action which is different from "ordinary" life." (p.4)
"To our way of thinking, play is the direct opposite of seriousness. At first sight this opposition seems as irreducible to other categories as the play-concept itself. Examined more closely, however, the contrast between play and seriousness proves to be neither conclusive nor fixed." (p.5)
1. All play is a voluntary activity.
2. Play is not 'ordinary' or 'real' life. It is rather a stepping out of 'real' life into a temporary sphere of activity with a disposition all of its own.
3. Play is distinct from 'ordinary' life both as to locality and duration... It is 'played out' within certain limits of time and place. It contains its own course and meaning. (pp. 7-9)
"Inside the play-ground an absolute and peculiar order reigns. Here we come across another, very positive feature of play: it creates order, is order. Into an imperfect world and into the confusion of life it brings a temporary, a limited perfection. Play demands order absolute and supreme." (p.10)
"Summing up the formal characteristics of play we might call it a free activity standing quite consciously outside 'ordinary' life as being 'not serious', but at the same time absorbing the player intensely and utterly. It is an activity connected with no material interest, 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 their difference from the common world by disguise or other means."
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