Theories of Fun

Play is somehting we have done for years naturally without anyone teaching us what to do or how to do it. We have used our free time to enjoy play as we can have fun this way as it is not a forced task, we choice to play in a non serious manner as leisure.

“Play is older than culture, for culture, however inadequately defined, always presupposes human society and animals have not waited for man to teach them their playing.”

Play has always been present before the introduction of common knowledge of games and the production of items to be used for play. Play is something natural that we do, we aren't told to go and do it, it is a part of us to do natural because we want to enjoy ourselves. Because play is a natural instinct, we see animals play fighting and generally having fun, as the quote above indicates, we have not taught them, it is a natural thing to do as it is a form of enjoyment.

“Given that we’re basically hierarchical and strongly tribal primates, it’s not surprising that most of the basic lessons we are taught by our childhood play are about power and status…games almost always teach us tools for being top primate.” Raph Koster

Koster has described us during play as animals as we take the same principles of being the top, the same way primates do by being the leader of the group. We learn this through play as we experience hierarchy when we play. For example, a group a children are playing and deciding what role they take when playing, one would be the mum, another the dad, then the children and all the way down to the dog. Play is something that we look at as a way of showing that we are the best. An example of hierachy being shown in video games is when player become competitive about their leaderboard positions. Players want to have the best kill to death ratio on a first person shooter or the best lap times in a racing game. When I have played video games online, I have been seen as a lesser competitor when playing because of my leaderboard positions. This means the other players who are higher in this hierachical system, feel they have the authority amongst other because of their status and take play much more serious than it should be which is ultimatley meant to be fun.

“To our way of thinking, play is the direct opposite of seriousness”

Play is something that we do for fun and leisure, it should be the direct opposite of seriousness. Although most of the time this is true, we can become competative and the fun of play becomes a more highly contested event. Play has recently become competative because of video games. Online competative gaming has become much bigger in recent years where gamers go to events to compete for prizes. This has stepped away from the fun aspect of play and made it more serious, than what I feel it needs to be. I think it shouldn't become serious because it forces you to try, you have to put in effort just to have fun and becomes a task rather than doing it for enjoyment.

“It is never a task; it is done at leisure during ‘free time’”

As stated previously, it is indeed a leisurly activity, something we are ment to enjoy in our free time because we want to have fun. This is true to more traditional childrens games such as 'Duck Duck Goose', 'Hide and Seek' and 'Simon Says' because they are played by children who just want to have fun. In constrast, video games have made it a task in some aspects because of aspects such as the leaderboards ranking, forcing some to feel as if they have to play more or better, just to be seen as better. Therefore, it has become a task for some, they use there free time for a non leisurly purpose as they feel the need to be more competative as opposed to just enjoying their free time.

“A free activity standing…outside “ordinary” life as being “non-serious” but at the same time absorbing the player intensely and utterly. It is…connected with no material interest…it proceeds within its proper boundaries of time and space according to fixed rules and in an orderly manner. It promotes to formation of social grouping…”

This quote from Huizinga explains everything about play, how we play for fun but become absorbed by what we are doing and that we are not doing it for any other gains other than fun. He also goes on to say how when we do play, we all do conform to rules. This is relevant to online gaming as we do it for fun and all follow the rules of the game we are playing, but the contrast for more recent times is that it has become a more intense occasion as play is a more serious event in some occasions.

A quote from Caillois saying “Play is an occasion of pure waste: Pure waste of time, ingenuity, skill and often money.”

I have to disagree with Caillois because play, is a form of enjoyment, we spend our time playing because we want to have fun and enjoy our time through play. Saying that play is a waste of skill I also don't agree with as a lot of modern video games are becoming more challenging to make their time more intense for the player. People can spend their time how they like and playing is one of them, it cannot be a pure waste as it is something we have done throughout the years. It is something we instinctivly do as it is a form of fun. We have often invinted our own ways to have fun so we are constantly evolving how we play. I can only agree with Caillois on one aspect which is the comment towards money. I do feel this is something that we are being drawn into because of pressures to be up to date with the most recent systems to play.

Play is something we instinctively do and we do it because we want to enjoy our free time by having fun. Play has always been present throughout history and we do it as a leisurly activity. Although it is considered as a non serious activity, modern video games, competastive gaming and leaderboards have often got away from the aspect of fun at times. As we can some times take it deriously, we can always enjoy our time during play.

Raph Koster - A Theory of Fun (2005)

Roger Callois - Man, Play and Games (1958)

John Huizinga - Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play Element in Culture (1938)