Exploratory Model Of Play Analysis

An Exploratory Model of Play is a journal-article in the American Anthropologist journal written by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Stith Bennett. The author’s main purpose for writing this article is to present the reader with an abstract idea of what it is to “play.” They do so by giving the reader several examples of different games that are used as a form of play and what defines the games as play; the authors conveyed this through several game examples. For example, the authors briefly talked about games of chance, games of strategy, and games of physical skill.
According to the authors, play is a universal activity that many people from different cultures experience. While play is universal, people may experience play a lot differently than those in different parts of the world. The authors go on to say that people who participate in some form of play will eventually experience the end result of play. People who participate in a form of play will ultimately have “fun.” …show more content…
One main factor the authors mentioned is the environment. In order for an individual to play, actions must be evoked by an individual through factors in the environment. However, some of these factors may contribute to negative effects that may not result in play. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Stith Bennett proclaimed how a lack of non-play conditions may result in a sense of worry. Boredom is another negative result of non-play situations; boredom may result because of a lack of opportunities for an individual to take action in order to play. The authors then indicated how “The fewer opportunities for action we perceive, the more bored we become” (Csikszentmihalyi and Bennett , 1971, 45). Play is considered as a past time that can be viewed as “monistic awareness” (Csikszentmihalyi and Bennett , 1971, 56). However, when boredom comes into effect, play is no longer considered fun to an