What is Play

1.

Human behaviours which are intended to be intrinsically enjoyable and not primarily directed towards useful outcomes. Learn more in: Art and Technology for Health

2.

Acting in particular ways possibly aligned with rules that govern an imaginary space. Learn more in: Designing BioSim: Playfully Encouraging Systems Thinking in Young Children

3.

Play has been defined as any activity freely chosen, intrinsically motivated, and personally directed. Play is not a specific behaviour, but any activity undertaken with a playful frame of mind. Learn more in: Does Gadget Usage Hamper the Psychological Aspects of Pre-Schoolers?

4.

The freedom of curiosity and movement within a bounded structure. Learn more in: I Play I Learn: Introducing Technological Play Theory

5.

An experience that must have the following features: it must be voluntary, it must be superfluous (it can be suspended/deferred at a moment’s notice), it creates order and has rules, it promotes the formation of social groupings, and it differs from ordinary life in terms of duration and/or location (Huizinga, 1955). Learn more in: Unifying Instructional and Game Design

6.

It is a physical or mental activity that engages the individual either for enjoyment or recreation. Learn more in: Play Therapy for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders

7.

Play is the most powerful, the purest, and the most effective form of communication language and self-expression available. It is critical in a child’s physical, social and intellectual development. Learn more in: Play and Play Therapy

8.

“something one chooses to do as a source of pleasure, which is intensely and utterly absorbing and promotes the formation of social groupings” (Prensky 2001, p. 112). Learn more in: The Use of Electronic Games in Distance Learning as a Tool for Teaching and Learning

9.

Activities in which individuals and groups engage that stimulate various aspects of personal and social functioning without necessarily being related to particular utilitarian outcomes. Learn more in: Enhancing Workplaces with Constructive Online Recreation

10.

Play is described as having the following elements: (1) intrinsically motivated and self-initiated, (2) non-literal and pleasurable, (3) process-oriented, (4) exploratory and active, and (5) governed by rules. Learn more in: Conceptual Play Spaces

11.

(1) As opposed to “work,” a pleasurable activity pursued for its own sake. (2) The free range of movement allowed before work becomes possible. Learn more in: New Media and the Virtual Workplace

12.

Behavior of exercising abilities in and of the abilities themselves, in which the cognitive, affective or perceptual exploration by individuals of the act of exercising the ability suffices as the motivation for exercising the ability. Play is defined by the agent’s initiative in that its outcomes as an activity are never pre-determined. Play furthermore is not limited by constraints of space or time. Play is free and non-obligatory and non-productive at least in itself – play can lead to benefits, but these are never its ostensive purpose. Finally, play is fundamentally abstract from the standpoint of concrete physical rules and goals of the objective world that is external to play. Learn more in: PLAYER: A European Challenge Game to Discover Young Entrepreneurs

13.

Involved, intrinsically-motivated exploration of situations which are not perceived by the individuals as leading to survival decisions. Learn more in: Crossing the Chasm: Hurdles to Acceptance and Success of Serious Games

14.

A behavior that is not always fun but involves thinking (i.e., cognition), strategy, rules, and often imagination and creativity in the context of a game setting and mechanics (e.g., scores, timed responses, competition). Learn more in: Stories, Games, and Learning through Play: The Affordances of Game Narrative for Education

15.

We define pla y and dramatic play interchangeably to mean the transformation of objects, situations, or identity through active engagement in role-playing ( Rubin, Fein, & Vandenberg, 1983 ). Learn more in: Play-Based Literacy Instruction: Interactive Learning in a Kindergarten Classroom

16.

The creativity and flexibility within mathematics. Often useful when initially engaging with a manipulative. Learn more in: Integrating Mathematics and Science Methods Classes With an Afterschool STEM Club

17.

A voluntary activity that is conducted for its own sake, for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose. Learn more in: Games We Play: Wellbeing of Players of Live and Digital Games