{"product_id":"play-matters","title":"Play Matters","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy play is a productive, expressive way of being, a form of understanding, and a fundamental part of our well-being.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat do we think about when we think about play? A pastime? Games? Childish activities? The opposite of work? Think again: If we are happy and well rested, we may approach even our daily tasks in a playful way, taking the attitude of play without the activity of play. So what, then, is play? In \u003ci\u003ePlay Matters\u003c\/i\u003e, Miguel Sicart argues that to play is to be in the world; playing is a form of understanding what surrounds us and a way of engaging with others. Play goes beyond games; it is a mode of being human.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe play games, but we also play \u003ci\u003ewith\u003c\/i\u003e toys, \u003ci\u003eon\u003c\/i\u003e playgrounds, \u003ci\u003ewith\u003c\/i\u003e technologies and design. Sicart proposes a theory of play that doesn''t derive from a particular object or activity but is a portable tool for being—not tied to objects but brought by people to the complex interactions that form their daily lives. It is not separated from reality; it is part of it. It is pleasurable, but not necessarily fun. Play can be dangerous, addictive, and destructive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlong the way, Sicart considers playfulness, the capacity to use play outside the context of play; toys, the materialization of play—instruments but also play pals; playgrounds, play spaces that enable all kinds of play; beauty, the aesthetics of play through action; political play—from Maradona''s goal against England in the 1986 World Cup to the hactivist activities of Anonymous; the political, aesthetic, and moral activity of game design; and why play and computers get along so well.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57305351258494,"sku":"NW9780262534512","price":19.35,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780262534512.jpg?v=1778649987","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/play-matters","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}