The new issue of Greater Good magazine (which I help edit) focuses on play:Can We Play?
Play is essential to positive human development, but kids are playing less and less, says psychologist David Elkind. What can we do to build a new culture of play?
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Games Animals Play
Animal play is serious business, say scientists Lee Alan Dugatkin and Sarina Rodrigues. Download PDF
Confessions of an Anxious Parent
Are today’s parents afraid to let their kids play? Jill Suttie tries to strike a balance between safety, freedom, and success. Download PDF
The Wild Ones
Adults have always tried to control children’s play. But Howard P. Chudacoff argues that the kids will always win. Download PDF
Playing the Blame Game
Video games stand accused of causing obesity, violence, and lousy grades. But new research paints a surprisingly complicated picture, reports Jeremy Adam Smith. Download PDF
With Friends Like These...
Marjorie Taylor and Alison B. Shawber explain what imaginary friends can reveal about the kids who create them.
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You’re It!
Play isn’t just for kids, reports Karen Solomon. Download PDF
Q&A: Playing Doctor
An interview with Patch Adams Download PDF
Plus:
Why the time is right to celebrate female superheroes, by Lisa Bennett
The Postpartum Brain, by Anna J. Abramson
The Forgiveness Instinct, by Michael E. McCullough
How can scientists beam altruism into outer space? by Alex Dixon
And don't forget:
I'm hosting a conversation with video-game researcher Lawrence Kutner on May 6 at North Gate Library on the UC Berkeley campus.
4 comments:
It's about time a magazine had play as a theme -- thanks for this!
I think this is one of the most interesting topics out there -- because if you're lucky, play never really stops.
Thanks for the PDF downloads -- very generous.
Read "Confessions of an Anxious Parent" and "Playing the Blame Game" first -- really good articles. I definitely think of video games as being the root of more evil than they apparently are -- I think my biggest hangup with purchasing a system is fear that I will play too much!
Thanks for sharing!
Amusingly enough (because I write about gaming fairly often), I actually hate playing video games. They feel like a gigantic waste of time, and we will never have a console (or a TV, for that matter) in our house. I only play video games when I'm writing about them.
But the reason I write about gaming is that I'm fascinated by the issues it raises: What effects are new media having our brains as well as other spheres of life? What do our games and gaming habits tell us about American culture and human nature? What factors feed youth violence? And so on.
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