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sandymcosta's review against another edition
2.0
I don’t really know that the author had a particular point to make, and if he did, I don’t think he made it. The chapters work as individual essays about different aspects of play in the modern world, but they seem disjointed when read as a whole. Would have worked better as an online article with hyperlinks, because I found myself more interested in the footnotes than the actual content of the book.
velociranga's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up the Humble Bundle ebook collection of ebooks about game design and theory ages ago, and am finally getting around to reading them.
Interesting academic look at defining a theory on play, including video games but incorporating all play (from children's games, to professional sports). It was interesting and the large amount of notes will be nice to return to if I want to research more about certain points down the line.
But it felt like it didn't apply it's ideas enough. It felt content to propose a definition of a concept or term, quickly apply it to one example, then move on. The section on playgrounds felt like it really explored some examples and applications of the ideas it raised, but the rest of the book felt a bit light so didn't sink in as well.
It was interesting as an academic theory, but didn't make for a great book.
Interesting academic look at defining a theory on play, including video games but incorporating all play (from children's games, to professional sports). It was interesting and the large amount of notes will be nice to return to if I want to research more about certain points down the line.
But it felt like it didn't apply it's ideas enough. It felt content to propose a definition of a concept or term, quickly apply it to one example, then move on. The section on playgrounds felt like it really explored some examples and applications of the ideas it raised, but the rest of the book felt a bit light so didn't sink in as well.
It was interesting as an academic theory, but didn't make for a great book.
neoludification's review against another edition
3.5
A short and mostly sweet rumination on the ecology of play, games and other playthings that are so deeply embedded in everyday life. The book gets quite dense at times and not every idea is fleshed out to the degree it could have been. However, I do really appreciate some of the author's more fabulous theoretical assertions, like "games don't matter that much" and "all computation is play". The emphasis on play as an appropriative and expressive mode of being also feels very true to me.
avedon_arcade's review
3.0
I FOUND THIS BOOK IN THE LOBBY WITH NO CLUE AS TO WHAT IT WAS ABOUT. TURNS OUT ITS A STUDY FROM MIT ABOUT HOW PLAYING MAKES US WHO WE ARE, HOW WE UNDERSTAND AN ENVIRONMENT AND HOW WE ALSO FIND BEAUTY AS WELL AS POLITICS WITHIN THE ACTION OF PLAY. ON TOP OF WHICH HOW BEING PLAYFUL CAN CHANGE THE MUNDANE INTO SOMETHING INCLUSIVE. SUPER FASCINATING READ DESPITE BEING REALLY DENSE, SCIENTIFIC AND PHILOSOPHICAL.
Apologies for the caps this was grabbed from an Instagram story.
Apologies for the caps this was grabbed from an Instagram story.
beardybot's review
1.0
I can suffer the excessively academic writing style, and I can put up with nonsensical curveballs like "all computation is play," but the author makes the critical mistake of never presenting anything new, and never presenting anything old with a new or interesting context or perspective.
If you've read one book about academia's version of play, you've definitely read this.
If you've read one book about academia's version of play, you've definitely read this.
annastarlight's review
2.0
The low rating is largely caused by the absolutely horrifying reading experience of this book. Whereas many journals caution their authors to make as few footnotes as possible, Play Matters takes the opposite approach. About a third of the book is footnotes. All of the actual scholarship is hidden in the back, while the main text reads like a strangely ungrounded manifesto about how everything is play. It's a jarring and annoying reading experience to have to go back and forth between the text and footnotes, especially when reading it as ebook. The word "play" and derivatives are mentioned a completely staggering 1018 times in this 158 page book. To me it has lost all meaning by now.
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