In this day and age, play is more vibrant than ever. It is present daily. From consoles and PCs to board games, play entertains and wraps around us. In order to play, one’s belief of reality must be cast aside during it, but only enough to remove the seriousness and freely join a new world or setting, known as the magic circle. However, there are forms of play that can be stuck on the border of work and play. Professional gaming can be seen as work. The player is paid and ordered to act a certain way. In the words of Huizinga, “all play is a voluntary activity.” Therefore, that form of gaming is work, but this could be argued. Depending on the person, their job could be voluntary. The person enjoys the play and it is not strictly an order, since they have full willingness to play. If it was truly an order, then perhaps they would quit or no longer enjoy the game. Many major league players start off as regularly enjoying a game, but later on choose it as a job because it could be a source of income. So, there is no clear distinction whether or not professional gaming is considered play.

Play, in relation to one’s culture, has a much stricter and easier relationship to understand. Each person experiences play in a different way. From the example in Upton’s “The Aesthetic of Play” visiting a Chinese opera will not be experienced the same way by a foreigner versus a Chinese citizen who understands all the social, cultural and political history surrounding the opera. Anyone can join a game and play it, but it doesn’t mean everyone will feel the same way. If thought about in regards to race, gender or even age, a game can be sexist, racist or ageist. With that in mind, a game might be acceptable to one group versus another because of the opposing characteristics between groups. A gay man could view a character as homophobic while a straight man could ignore the problematic aspects of that character because they don’t notice those stereotypes that are commonly placed in triple A titles. However, with the increasing publicity of rights of minorities, this will hopefully produce better representation within games and make play a good experience for all.

By: Samantha Reeb

Works Cited

Huizinga, Johan. Homo Ludens: a Study of the Play Element in Culture. Angelico Press, 2016.

Upton, Brian. The Aesthetic of Play. The MIT Press, 2015.