Taking Play Seriously – The Importance of Fun and Leisure

This salon will be your entry into the world of play, with Donald and Reddy playing tour guide along the way as we explore different aspects of play (physical, mental, spiritual, technological, social, sexual) in future salons.

What does it mean to Play? Is Play a verb, a noun, or both? Must we define play against it’s – seemingly – antonym work?

What would it mean for us – especially as adults – to take play seriously? How might we try to playify our lives? Play done for it’s own sake and not as means to other ends? Is Play different from Leisure? If so, what are the differences and how do we change our focus from leisure activities to playful activities? Is play the active aspect of peace which is the antonym of war, and thus playing unites us thru it’s universalness.

Studies have shown that the belief that leisure is wasteful is associated with poorer mental health outcomes, including lower reported happiness, and greater reported depression, anxiety, and stress. So let’s discuss the implications for maximising well-being through leisure, fun and play. If you’re unsure what constitutes play, try this definition by Psychologist, Peter Gray (rhymes with play)

• Play Is Self-Chosen and Self-Directed
• Play is intrinsically motivated – means are more valued than ends
• Play is guided by mental rules, but the rules leave room for creativity
• Play is imaginative
• Play is conducted in an alert, active, but relatively non-stressed frame of mind

This introductory salon will serve as a playground to gather in as playmates and start playing, while creating unique playbooks relevant to our lives. The goal (should you choose to aim for something along the way) is to rediscover your lost fountain of youth via play.

Recommend Readings:

• The Original Affluent Society. Sahlins
• De Otio
• Leisure – The Basis of Culture
• Science of Play
• On Play and Playing
• Never Stop Playing with Mr. Jepson
• Viewing leisure as wasteful undermines enjoyment
• Play is more than just fun
• Benefits of playing Video Games
• A City is Not a Tree
• Plato’s Republic
• Totto-Chan: The little girl at the window
• The Philosophy of Clown
• How to make work feel like play
• Why It Pays to Play Around