Homo Ludens -Huiznga
Chapter one:
The author tries to explain the importance of “ Play” from a culture point of view. He believes that the activity of playing, plays a very important role changing the course of civilization.
He believes that play even in the lowest form is not just a mere physiological phenomenon or psychological reflex or just a biological activity.In this text,he tries to examine the very nature of play as a social construct .Examining the activity of play as a physiological phenomenon or as a psychological perspective or as a biological function has not done enough justice in understanding the activity of play as both make assumptions that can be either contradicted or may just have very narrow view of the topic .By examining play in such a manner the importance of play on the user or the very understanding of the concept of play is lost. These approaches miss on the fun element of the game. They do not examine play from the viewpoint of the player.The author also believes that there is no direct relation between play and seriousness. Since play as concept cannot be defined by the existing methods the author goes on to define the characteristic of play .They are as follows :
All play is a voluntary activity. It is an act of freedom .
Play is not “Ordinary ” or “Real ” life , it is the stepping out of it.
Play is distinct from “Ordinary ” life both as to locality and duration.Its played out within limits of time and place.
Play creates Order it
This play is about the experiences of a dying school boy, it is a celebration of life and the power to heal through gaining insight.
“Play is an essential part of every child's life and is vital for the enjoyment of
The script shows ordinary people with everyday situations that many people would be able to relate to on one level or another. The experiences on display throughout the play can be understood by those who may live in small towns like the one in the script or those who reside in major urban areas.
The play makes you think, whether for a split moment or a long time, about the idea of being aware while going about even the most menial of tasks.
Alteration in the meaning of play over period of time and how it has acted upon us?
“Play is the highest expression of human development, for it alone is the expression of what is in a child’s soul.” Friedrich Froebel
This weekend I decided to go to a play that I have hear people talking about as I walked the streets. Many people were discussing the drama that goes behind this play and as much as I wanted to join the conversation, I had to find out for myself since no one will talk to me. I have much to say about this play so let’s get started shall we.
Play is valuable in school, as it enables children to freely express themselves. This may occur during social interactions with their peers or as an individual. Play provides a valuable opportunity for a child to use their imagination as a tool for learning, by extracting and processing new information in regard to the world around them. This is supported by Lev Vygotsky a psychologist, who believed that “play led children’s development, as it could enable them to step outside their actual lives to explore, through imagination, a wider set of meanings and understanding”.(Study topic 13, page 165).
Michael Patte, a professor of education at Bloomsburg University, talks about the change that happen to play. In the past, the play was an unstructured, open-ended activity, but today The play has become an adult-led and very structured, which has a significant effect on children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional development, Michael gave some reasons for that shift include safety fears such as stranger danger, and crime, increasing time spent in school, and overemphasis on school achievement and structured activities such as sports. At the end he talk about the advantages of unstructured play, and how it is an important part of kids’ development.
Innate play should create an intrinsic relationship between the player and elements surrounding the play. Notions of play have evolved over time, and recently, play has emerged as a complex scientific involvement that inherits contemporary techniques such as mathematics and logistics. The play also closes the boundaries of sociology, biology, art, spirituality, geography, physics, and chemistry. To better understand how play functions, it is important to invite theories associated with a play, which helps adopt a ritualistic approach to understanding functions of play to the life of a human being. The incoming research will investigate possible theories that mentored Johan Huizinga in his text Homo Ludens. Also, the research will summarize Hector Rodriguez article, The Playful and the Serious which gives involuntary concepts of gaming. The research will prove that real play is one that is conducted voluntarily and not that from professional projections in arenas or theatres.
How do we define play within the context of education? This is an important question in the research on play. The word “play” is extremely complex with multiple contexts attached to it, yet it lacks a clear definition or role within the education system. If play is looked up in Wikipedia one will find over a dozen links to different contexts of the word. The Oxford English Dictionary (O.E.D.) provides five three-column pages of definitions and usages of play.
It is about possible, alternate worlds which consist of the concepts ‘supporting' and ‘as if' and which lift the player to the highest levels of functioning. This involves being imaginative, inventive, unique and innovative. Free flow play is about participants wallowing in ideas, feelings and relationships, and becoming aware of what we know. It actively uses first-hand experiences and It is sustained, and when in full flow, helps us to function in advance of what we can essentially do in our real lives. In free flow play, we use technical skill, mastery, and competence that we have formerly established.
Over the past decade, play has been the focus of many researches due to its biological, sociological and developmental effects on a child. Play is understood as a basic human motivation and a phase for individual development and of cultural assimilation and construction which leads to a specific view on childhood. Play is sometimes opposed with serious work and learning activities which is not true because play is an important arena in a child’s life. Play is significant for a child’s growth, improvement of the child’s welfare and play is also the child’s legitimate right. Some people still get confused between the meaning of play and just having fun. Play, in similar words, is the universal language of childhood. It is through play that
Many experts credit its iconic character types, its groundbreaking performance style, its unfortunately enduring relatability, and it influenced many plays that followed it; with characters like Billy, the spent salesman; Biff, the high school athlete with a short temper and a feeling of not belonging into society; Happy, the younger brother who plays everything up; and Linda, the devoted wife who doesn’t blame her husband for the error of his ways. But this play brought up the very real issues of what goes on in our everyday