Defining Games and Play

When someone walks into my room and asks what the students are doing, I should be able to say playing. However, admin probably won’t like that answer. The real answer needs to include problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. They are relying on their own problem solving capabilities as well as leaning on their peers. In my game design class kids are constantly saying they are stuck so we default to the students that were most successful at that level. With help they now feel empowered and the student that was helping feels even more reward. Peter Gray said, “It is through social play that children learn, on their own, with no lectures, how to meet their own needs while, at the same time, satisfying the needs of others.” I love my kids and the community we have created in our classroom. They are not afraid to say they are stuck, they are not afraid to ask for help from their peers, and some are not afraid to assist others.

Play and games go hand in hand in my book. Game is a noun, a thing which includes play. Play is a verb, the action taking place within a game. To me play is doing something you enjoy, which in turn makes it a game. “Research studies have shown that adults who have a great deal of freedom as to how and when to do their work often experience that work as play.....” (Peter Gray, Psychology Today: Value of Play). This parallels Daniel Pink’s ideas from his book Drive. 

I can apply this to myself with my job as well as with cooking. When I have time, I love to cook. I get great satisfaction knowing I created a wonderful meal for my family. Under these circumstances, cooking is a game I am choosing to play. 

However, during the week when time is an issue, cooking dinner becomes a chore I grudgingly have to do. It is no longer a game. When it comes to my job, I feel the same satisfaction. Teaching is a passion to me and I love to “play” in my class everyday. The only time teaching becomes a job is when I am required to be at a Professional Development I did not choose. Usually this is just to satisfy someone else.