Monday, February 7, 2011

Play/Work

Hey everybody, I'm Robert, but you can call Me Ty. I'm a Junior, and a film student. I've never blogged before, if this turns out terrible, that's why. We talked a lot in class Friday about about the differences between play and work, and where the two overlap. I guess I just have a few things that I'd like to add to the discussion.

One of the ideas mentioned in class was that one action could not count as both work and play. I disagree with this. This leads me to my point that i think what really needs to be defined are the concepts of work and play. Webster's says that work is this: "activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something". It also says that play is this: "recreational activity; especially : the spontaneous activity of children". I understand that play was also defined in the text this week, but I think if I'm using one source for my argument, that i should use the same source for the other side. So, if we accept that these are the correct definitions of the words, than it is very possible for an action to be both work and play. So long as an activity is performed from the exertion of strength or faculties to do so, and that action is recreational; then it is both work and play.

I once say an interview with Stephen King where he said someone wasn't a professional writer until that person used the money that was made from the selling of a piece of writing to pay his water bill. In this sense, if Mr. King loves playing with words and the mind of his audience, and can also pay his water bill with the proceeds from his play, he has just performed work and play.

For another, more personal example, last year some friends and I attempted to compete in the world monopoly competition-we didn't-but we tried. There is something like a 30 grand cash prize. So had I competed and won, I would have been working and playing.

I think these two things overlay in the world of gaming as well. The thing that comes to mind is big RPGs, where people grind there characters. Grinding is not particularly fun, in fact that's pretty close to work if you asked me. Regardless though, you are playing a recreational game.
These are all just my thoughts obviously, but I thought I'd make this my first contribution.

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