You have to Play to Change the Game

We desire change; if this holds true, we need to play....

To bring about change, we need to engage in the game ourselves and also encourage others to participate, all while embracing the concept of Play.

A system is essentially a collection of individuals or participants who adhere to rules and social "norms" rooted in history or future aspirations. This concept closely resembles Playtypes. As spectators, our capacity to effect significant change is limited, but by participating, we might contribute to driving change.

Part 1- What is Play

Part 2- Getting involved in Play

Part 3- Changing the System

What Is Play

According to its definition, "Play is a personal experience" and is characterized by certain behavioral criteria: it is freely chosen, personally directed, and intrinsically motivated. Bob Hughes, in "Evolutionary Playwork," describes these aspects. Additionally, there are 16 categories of Playtypes identified by Hughes in 1996.

Communication

Creative

Dramatic

Deep

Exploratory

Fantasy

Imaginative

Locomotor

Mastery

Object

Recapitulation

Role

Rough and Tumble

Social

Socio-dramatic

Symbolic

I present this information to initiate a discussion on one key point: with so many categories in Play, could it be the best option for nearly everything, particularly for children?

Take a moment to consider how often you incorporate these into your life or how many everyday activities actually fit into these categories.

Keep these thoughts in your mind or jot them down, so you're prepared to comment once you've finished reading.

Part 2 - Getting Involved in Play

Children

This section is the obvious connection to play, for children to prepare themselves for future needs, aiding them in navigating the world and solving problems. For example, in social play, a child examines and applies social rules, while in object play, a child explores the tactile properties of an object and its relationship to the surrounding world or other types of play.

Now for much of the time this play should be outside adult interaction allowing that complete freedom, to really explore the connections and challenges that arise. But with such a disconnect of community and activity, 1) do children crave some connection, some role modelling (take Role Play) in the last years we have seen the ultra tech boom, possibly creating disconnects or confusion in immaginative/role model/fantasy play, we had covid an unnatural time of loss in key months for children, and sadly an education system that favours numbers over growth*, 2) do adults need Play?, and well 3) can adults become honorary children within play?

Adults

I genuinely believe that adults need play now more than ever! While it might not be the same as the types of play children engage in, activities like reading, playing sports, watching TV, or attending parties all have roots in play. My concern, shared by many experts, is that we are losing the physical and playful connections. We might fall into a few unfortunate categories: never having engaged in challenging types of play, having forgotten them over time, or having them stripped away due to psychological, physiological, or more commonly, sociological reasons.

3 quick reasons to start playing now.

1. to showcase and rolemodel to your children, the joy of physical activity

2. for your own, physical and emotional wellbeing

3. a chance to break down barriers and build foundations in your community

Communities

The primary goal of this blog is to highlight how play can be used to rebuild communities, both through the literal act of playing and as a metaphor for participating in systemic change.

To use Park Plays line "Building Happier, Healthier Communities through the life- changing Power of Play" sounds brilliant, and it is lets take 3 Playtypes. Social, Role, and Communication all key words in a community and also all key parts of Park Play although you may not necesarily have thought it.

Communication- Talking, Singing and metacommunication. These are not the main principles of Park Play, but everyone involved is going to be taking part in these and more than likely unforced free will to talk, to portray body language, to express and to read those from others nad not only to do it with "like for like peers" but multigenerationally amongst other diverse differences.

Role Play- Again not a key principle with Park Play, but all will explore different roles learnt off others during the session, a child becoming a Honorary Play Leader for 10minutes, the adult copying the childs imaginative style of running, the parent whos been coming for 3 weeks decides they would like to step up to the Play Leader mark.

Social Play- altering games to favour certain ages, the Child once again taking over the rules, the 10 year old not tackling the 3 year old, the 6 year old high fiving the 50 year old.

This not only creates a community in the present but also plants the seeds for change in 6 months, 3 years, 9 years, and 21 years.

I have hardly mentioned activity in any of this! I don't believe it's necessary. Being active is beneficial, and play is an excellent way to achieve this due to all the additional benefits it provides. Park Play is social first and foremost, with the welcome preceding the games.

For more stories check out Our Stories - ParkPlay

Part 3- Changing the System

Heres the point we change Using Play, to Change the Game, to Change the System.

Heres the TaAF model

Heres my belief

In my head everything is on an infinity symbol a never ending loop of boundless energy! Now once something is in, it will never not be there, but it can be forgotten about unless it is repeatedly brought alive. The more it is brought alive by the people playing, the more new people will play as well, until it as so much energy and is so ingrained no one is ever sure when, where or how it came about only thats its great and thats the why!

Simplified

You start playing, people join in, you provide support, empowerment, more join in, the originals support the new members, everyone feels the benefit, its going, enough times and enough places you have a system you have created the system more will adopt it.

So you need to Play to Change the Game.

There are so many analogies back to play, there are so many case studies from both Park Play and the Active Villages Model.

But this was to create a bit of reading to support the round table discussion and to maybe continue the discussion.

Thank you

Matt