In the next chapters of Play Matters, the beauty of play and the spaces where play takes place are discussed. In Chapter 4, Sicart questions how spaces for play are created and what the parent species of play is. Play can take place in any given location; it all begins with an appropriate time and having a mindset for play itself (i.e. imagination), which to me are both the parent species of play.
Sicart says, “If play spaces are defined by something, that is the openness to appropriation, the ways in which they let us play, giving us a place to be.” If I am asked the question, “Where do you play?”, I can’t help but think of several different places. I play in the music room where I can let my inner opera singer let loose (a girl can dream, can’t she?). I play when I’m in the swimming pool, imagining about all of the Olympic races I could be racing if I were not a lazy potato in real life. I mindlessly play my laptop and phone when I’m bored, just to keep my mind busy when I don’t want to be actually busy with homework or other responsibilities. Wherever I’m with my friends and family, I can just be myself and turn off my filter. Most of the time, it’s a fun thing to do until your conservative aunt questions your choice of words and language. Of all kinds of play though, I cannot deny that my favorite kind of play is whenever I’m with my dog. This is because I believe dogs have this innate playful manner. Therefore, whenever I’m with my dog or whenever I see a dog in public, I automatically think of petting and playing with them– dogs appropriate play at any given moment and, therefore, give me a place to play in any given location.
Going back to idea of mindlessly playing on my laptop and phone…
I remember when I was a kid, I used to play CD-ROM games on my big Windows computer after pre-school until around 1st grade. My computer created a playground for me when I wasn’t allowed to go outside when my parents were too busy to watch me. I’d play Freddi Fish, Putt-Putt, and Blue’s Clues problem solving games. Sicart talks about Proteus as an interactive software where players are free to allow themselves to enter a state in which they become the subject of experience and inquiry. Looking back, I thought it was cool that I got to control the characters in the games that I played, and that I built an emotional connection with the characters as well. As a kid, it’s nice to feel important– I definitely felt important after accomplishing each task and finishing each CD-ROM game time after time.
Sicart continues to discuss the beauty of play in Chapter 5. He questions if play is an artistic manifestation and why play is beautiful. To me, it all goes back to the parent species of play– an appropriate time and imagination. Play is definitely a beautiful thing when people come together to enjoy something, whether it’s for a sports game or out of pure imagination. It was really humbling to see the kids I was lifeguarding play on the grass with my dog and play games in the pool that they made up. I asked the parents if they had smartphones, and they refused to get them phones until high school. To me, there are many kinds of play that are beautiful, like tennis, dance, gymnastics, and orchestratras/music concerts. However, seeing old school imaginative play at the ages of 5, 7, and 12 was such a beauty to me considering how little you see kids play “pretend” and how much you see kids on their smartphones.