Book
Play anything : the pleasure of limits, the uses of boredom, and the secret of games / Ian Bogost.
Ian Bogost shows how we can overcome our daily anxiety; transforming the boring, ordinary world around us into one of endless, playful possibilities. The key to this playful mindset lies in discovering the secret truth of fun and games. Play Anything, reveals that games appeal to us not because they are fun, but because they set limitations. Soccer wouldn't be soccer if it wasn't composed of two teams of eleven players using only their feet, heads, and torsos to get a ball into a goal; Tetris wouldn't be Tetris without falling pieces in characteristic shapes. Such rules seem needless, arbitrary, and difficult. Yet it is the limitations that make games enjoyable, just like it's the hard things in life that give it meaning. Play is what happens when we accept these limitations, narrow our focus, and, consequently, have fun. Which is also how to live a good life. Manipulating a soccer ball into a goal is no different than treating ordinary circumstances- like grocery shopping, lawn mowing, and making PowerPoints-as sources for meaning and joy. We can "play anything" by filling our days with attention and discipline, devotion and love for the world as it really is, beyond our desires and fears.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780465051724 (hardback)
- ISBN: 0465051723 (hardback)
- Physical Description: xii, 266 pages ; 25 cm
- Publisher: New York : Basic Books, [2016]
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-250) index. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | Life is not a game -- Everywhere, playgrounds -- Ironoia, the mistrust of things -- Fun isn't pleasure, it's novelty -- Play is in things, not in you -- From restraint to constraint -- The pleasure of limits -- The opposite of happiness -- Living with things. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Play. Creative ability. Popular culture > Social aspects. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Circulation Modifier | Holdable? | Status | Due Date | Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Carr University of Art + Design | BF408 .B566 2016 (Text) | 30241744 | Book | Volume hold | Available | - |
| LDR | 02647cam a2200397 i 4500 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | 117038623 | ||
| 003 | SITKA | ||
| 005 | 20161110182119.0 | ||
| 008 | 160613s2016 nyu 001 0 eng | ||
| 010 | . | ‡a 2016019144 | |
| 020 | . | ‡a9780465051724 (hardback) | |
| 020 | . | ‡a0465051723 (hardback) | |
| 035 | . | ‡a(OCoLC)945232230 | |
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| 100 | 1 | . | ‡aBogost, Ian, ‡eauthor. |
| 245 | 1 | 0. | ‡aPlay anything : ‡bthe pleasure of limits, the uses of boredom, and the secret of games / ‡cIan Bogost. |
| 264 | 1. | ‡aNew York : ‡bBasic Books, ‡c[2016] | |
| 300 | . | ‡axii, 266 pages ; ‡c25 cm | |
| 336 | . | ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent | |
| 337 | . | ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia | |
| 338 | . | ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier | |
| 504 | . | ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 239-250) index. | |
| 505 | 0 | . | ‡aLife is not a game -- Everywhere, playgrounds -- Ironoia, the mistrust of things -- Fun isn't pleasure, it's novelty -- Play is in things, not in you -- From restraint to constraint -- The pleasure of limits -- The opposite of happiness -- Living with things. |
| 520 | . | ‡aIan Bogost shows how we can overcome our daily anxiety; transforming the boring, ordinary world around us into one of endless, playful possibilities. The key to this playful mindset lies in discovering the secret truth of fun and games. Play Anything, reveals that games appeal to us not because they are fun, but because they set limitations. Soccer wouldn't be soccer if it wasn't composed of two teams of eleven players using only their feet, heads, and torsos to get a ball into a goal; Tetris wouldn't be Tetris without falling pieces in characteristic shapes. Such rules seem needless, arbitrary, and difficult. Yet it is the limitations that make games enjoyable, just like it's the hard things in life that give it meaning. Play is what happens when we accept these limitations, narrow our focus, and, consequently, have fun. Which is also how to live a good life. Manipulating a soccer ball into a goal is no different than treating ordinary circumstances- like grocery shopping, lawn mowing, and making PowerPoints-as sources for meaning and joy. We can "play anything" by filling our days with attention and discipline, devotion and love for the world as it really is, beyond our desires and fears. | |
| 594 | . | ‡a20161014 mht | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aPlay. | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aCreative ability. | |
| 650 | 0. | ‡aPopular culture ‡xSocial aspects. | |
| 994 | . | ‡a3 | |
| 995 | . | ‡a4 | |
| 996 | . | ‡a5096765 | |
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| 901 | . | ‡a117038623 ‡b ‡c117038623 ‡tbiblio | |
