Dear Erica, thank you for your post and the beautiful design.
I like the idea of a varied ecology of play and the overlapping areas that the three concepts create.
It reminds me of the book “Finite and Infinite Games” by James Carse. I found it quite interesting - —he suggests that there are finite games we play because we want them to end, with a clear winner and loser.
Then there are infinite games, which we play because they bring joy. We don’t want them to end; we play them for the sake of playing.
Gardening comes to mind—and, of course, writing.
Thank you for sharing your infinite game with us through your writing!
Thank you for reading and taking a moment to share this lovely comment! I am not familiar with the book you mention but am going to look it up. I've been thinking a lot lately about play in the context of games, in fact in the Fall 2024 semester I taught a seminar (co-designed with a colleague, so a unique class) on using Serious Games as Wise Interventions to address potential changes in attitudes and behaviors. In that class we discussed the difference between game-based learning and gamification quite a bit, where gamification is a like a quick fix with diminishing returns and game-based learning, while perhaps slower, offers more lasting change spaces because it is playful rather than manipulative as it reveals where the room to move is. Now I am thinking about how the "infinite" and "finite" fit with gamification and game based learning. How fun! Thanks for this new perspective.
I love that there is more writing and attention on play. It's wonderful that you've positioned play as foundational in life. I also have enjoyed Gray's publication, Play Makes Us Human.
The book, Homo Ludens (J. Huizinga 1938), made a great impact on me many years ago and I shifted my life into a posture of play. I can't express how profound this shift has been in improving the quality of my life.
This posture grew into a pedagogical approach which underpins my educational practice. Educating through play in classrooms feels very lonely, misunderstood, and often contrarian in the sombre halls of high school.
I wrote a short piece on how I apply play in my life and classrooms. I hope you enjoy the light read:
Looking forward to reading your post Ryan, thanks for the share! And agree that it can feel lonely when we break out of an expected mold and play with the room to move that we find there. Bravo to you for doing it.
There is so much to digest here I know I will come back to comb through again. I love that you are putting play in the spotlight, as the very definition of play leans in to the non serious. But play IS serious, and necessary. I wrote about it, too, specifically about the role of play in learning. Thank you for the depth you’ve shared here! https://schoolofthought.substack.com/p/deliberate-play-helps-us-learn?utm_source=publication-search
Love the "freebie" preview of your post, Jane (and apologies for not being a paid subscriber). I love the question you pose: "What if playing with new skills is the key to preserving the ones you already have?" and I 100% think the answer is YES - it is indeed the key! Finding the give, looking for spots where there's room to move - that is the heart of play, and heart of learning and growth. I often fall back on the Vygotskian notion that without challenge we won't see change, and that "Challenge" can be a wonderful thing, especially when it's a co-creation situation grounded in one's culture. Playing with new skills is scary, but it's the place where we can grow. And hey (!) -- living through a moment of risk can be a wonderful thing!
Thanks for engaging here! I've been having "publisher remorse" so appreciate that you took the time to read and remark! I have more swimming around in my head to add to the story, and will continue to do so. I've written about play before -- about 10 years ago on my Wordpress Blog site-- but not like this. At any rate, will be writing more and am looking forward to reading your newsletter too.
These two posts linked here slipped my mind yesterday when I was collecting my current thoughts on play. I'd written these for the Montessori school my child was attending at the time -- the school directors and I had been talking and they asked if I would write something they could share with the other parents and of course I complied! These posts are more of the typical "research round-up" type posts. I'm much more interested, these days, on challenging standard definitions, but can still stand behind my writing from that time period.
Dear Erica, thank you for your post and the beautiful design.
I like the idea of a varied ecology of play and the overlapping areas that the three concepts create.
It reminds me of the book “Finite and Infinite Games” by James Carse. I found it quite interesting - —he suggests that there are finite games we play because we want them to end, with a clear winner and loser.
Then there are infinite games, which we play because they bring joy. We don’t want them to end; we play them for the sake of playing.
Gardening comes to mind—and, of course, writing.
Thank you for sharing your infinite game with us through your writing!
Thank you for reading and taking a moment to share this lovely comment! I am not familiar with the book you mention but am going to look it up. I've been thinking a lot lately about play in the context of games, in fact in the Fall 2024 semester I taught a seminar (co-designed with a colleague, so a unique class) on using Serious Games as Wise Interventions to address potential changes in attitudes and behaviors. In that class we discussed the difference between game-based learning and gamification quite a bit, where gamification is a like a quick fix with diminishing returns and game-based learning, while perhaps slower, offers more lasting change spaces because it is playful rather than manipulative as it reveals where the room to move is. Now I am thinking about how the "infinite" and "finite" fit with gamification and game based learning. How fun! Thanks for this new perspective.
Cannot be enough written on adults and play
Glad you feel that way Todd ☺️. I’ve got more to say on the matter too!
I love that there is more writing and attention on play. It's wonderful that you've positioned play as foundational in life. I also have enjoyed Gray's publication, Play Makes Us Human.
The book, Homo Ludens (J. Huizinga 1938), made a great impact on me many years ago and I shifted my life into a posture of play. I can't express how profound this shift has been in improving the quality of my life.
This posture grew into a pedagogical approach which underpins my educational practice. Educating through play in classrooms feels very lonely, misunderstood, and often contrarian in the sombre halls of high school.
I wrote a short piece on how I apply play in my life and classrooms. I hope you enjoy the light read:
https://open.substack.com/pub/ryanbromley/p/a-posture-of-play?r=2e8gk6&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Looking forward to reading your post Ryan, thanks for the share! And agree that it can feel lonely when we break out of an expected mold and play with the room to move that we find there. Bravo to you for doing it.
There is so much to digest here I know I will come back to comb through again. I love that you are putting play in the spotlight, as the very definition of play leans in to the non serious. But play IS serious, and necessary. I wrote about it, too, specifically about the role of play in learning. Thank you for the depth you’ve shared here! https://schoolofthought.substack.com/p/deliberate-play-helps-us-learn?utm_source=publication-search
Love the "freebie" preview of your post, Jane (and apologies for not being a paid subscriber). I love the question you pose: "What if playing with new skills is the key to preserving the ones you already have?" and I 100% think the answer is YES - it is indeed the key! Finding the give, looking for spots where there's room to move - that is the heart of play, and heart of learning and growth. I often fall back on the Vygotskian notion that without challenge we won't see change, and that "Challenge" can be a wonderful thing, especially when it's a co-creation situation grounded in one's culture. Playing with new skills is scary, but it's the place where we can grow. And hey (!) -- living through a moment of risk can be a wonderful thing!
Thanks for engaging here! I've been having "publisher remorse" so appreciate that you took the time to read and remark! I have more swimming around in my head to add to the story, and will continue to do so. I've written about play before -- about 10 years ago on my Wordpress Blog site-- but not like this. At any rate, will be writing more and am looking forward to reading your newsletter too.
These two posts linked here slipped my mind yesterday when I was collecting my current thoughts on play. I'd written these for the Montessori school my child was attending at the time -- the school directors and I had been talking and they asked if I would write something they could share with the other parents and of course I complied! These posts are more of the typical "research round-up" type posts. I'm much more interested, these days, on challenging standard definitions, but can still stand behind my writing from that time period.
https://cognitioneducation.me/2013/07/13/a-time-and-a-place-for-play/
https://cognitioneducation.me/2013/07/25/a-time-and-a-place-for-play-part-2/