The article "Play's the Thing," begins with one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite, oldest, and most enlighteningly cantankerous of colleagues, Brian Sutton-Smith. "The opposite of play is not work," he says, "it's depression." This, alone, made me want to read the entire page.

It turns out that this is a most refreshingly scholarly collection of contributions by some of our most gifted thinkers on the nature of play. There's a collection of articles about the educational benefits of computer games, and a mind-opening gathering of playful pith relating to the functions and benefits of play, which includes a profound, and somewhat painful quote by biologist Mark Bekoff: "Kids are discouraged from playing because they've got to go to school...They have all these things to do after school that adults think of as play--but Little League isn't play, in many ways." The article goes on to explain: "Organised sports are too structured to emulate spontaneous play, and there's often so much pressure involved that after-school activities aren't even fun. With schooling beginning earlier and becoming increasingly exam-oriented, play is likely to get even less of a look-in. 'We have basically become a playless society; says Bekoff. Who knows what the result of that will be.'"

The article goes on to include studies about the nature and benefits of laughter, and concludes with pointers to more resources about play. It is only one of many resources available on a site called "The Educational Cyber Playground," which also includes the ambitiously delicious, add-your-own-song, "National Children's Folksong Repository." All of which helps to validate my currentmost oversimplification: "Fun is important." And don't let anything make you forget it!

Labels: playfulness