The Definition and Importance of Play

The definition of play, with a general focus on video games, is an interesting topic that has started to come up in our most recent readings. As a gamer myself, (though I take the definition of “gamer” very lightly, in this case, just someone who plays video games on occasion) I found it interesting to read what makes playing video games, by definition, a form of “play.” Throughout childhood I always considered play to simply be any instance in which I was doing something that I wanted to do and had fun while doing it. Not being required to do something was possibly the most important aspect of play for me as a child. Playing basketball has always been one of my favorite activities, but once I joined a club basketball team in middle school, I was required to practice and play at certain times, required to do well, and in constant fear of being yelled at by our over-zealous coach. As basketball became more and more of a requirement, it became less and less an idea of fun and play. In Man, Play and Games, author Roger Caillois has several aspects by which he defines play. His first point is presented plain and simple. “1. Free: in which playing is not obligatory; if it were, it would at once lose its attractiveness and joyous quality as diversion.” (Caillois 9) I believe that this point is what defines video games, for the mass majority of people who participate in them, as a strict form of play. People turn to video games as a source of entertainment and play because of the freedom associated with it. The freedom to control a virtual world, the freedom to play and discontinue play whenever the player wants, and the freedom of choice between different video games and different mediums on which to play the video games are just some of these ideas of freedom that constitute video games as a form of play. For the minority that play video games as a profession, whether it be building and selling accounts to other players or making virtual items to sell on such games as Second Life, video games no longer fall under the category of play. At this point, something that was once an enjoyable form of play has now become an obligatory career. These “gamers” now have to find a different form of play for they turned their previous form of play into a profession.

In his novel Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture, Alexander Galloway’s very first sentence is his definition of a game. “A game is an activity defined by rules in which players try to reach some sort of goal.” (Galloway 1) Such a short and simple definition still has the ability to define every video game. To be considered a game and, therefore, a form of play, video games must have set rules and an ultimate objective. Even in a game such as The Sims, where there isn’t a real way to beat the game, there is still the objective to keep your sim alive, to make as much money as possible, to make a family, and to have the coolest house ever. When I attempt to picture a video game with no set rules and no ultimate goal, I can only picture a video game character floating in an empty and void space. Playing a video game in which you control a character that is merely floating in an empty space sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry, which is why I’m guessing Floating Man isn’t an actual video game.

The importance of video games being a form a play, and not a form of “mindless” activity, as some seem to think it is, is extreme for many children and adults alike. As a source of escape from real world troubles and, for some, an only form of fun and entertainment, video games serve as this necessary form of play. “Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being.” (Ginsburg) Continuing freedom to play video games and allowing it to be a form of play for all wishing to participate is a necessity if we wish for the continual healthy development of the mind.