{"product_id":"play-matters-9780262534512","title":"Play Matters","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhy play is a productive, expressive way of being human, a form of understanding, and a fundamental part of our well-being.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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\u003e Play 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWe play games, but we also play with toys, on playgrounds, with 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-16598703\"\u003eMiguel Sicart\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e MIT Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/27\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 170\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.40lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.30w x 0.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780262534512\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0262534517\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-GAM\"\u003eGames \u0026amp; Activities\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-GAM000000\"\u003eGeneral\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-SOC\"\u003eSocial Science\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-SOC022000\"\u003ePopular Culture\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMiguel Sicart is Associate Professor at the Center for Computer Game Research at IT University Copenhagen. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Ethics of Computer Games\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBeyond Choices: The Design of Ethical Gameplay\u003c\/i\u003e, both published by the MIT Press.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44490985963757,"sku":"9780262534512","price":41.67,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/products\/img_0a5648a1-5bcf-493e-97ac-74f1681ce6cc.jpg?v=1700880976","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/products\/play-matters-9780262534512","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}