Georgina Whitman
1/20/11
Play

Play is something universal that can be done anywhere, at any time, and at any age. It is one of those things that have no language barrier. But what kind of play is the most important? After reading three articles that deal with different kinds of play such as deep play, play at work, and children’s play, otherwise known as child’s play, I believe G. Stanley Hall’s “The Story of a Sand Pile” shows that children’s play just may be the most important. Compared to deep play and play at work, children’s play seems to have no disadvantages or repercussions. Children’s play also can shape kids’ creativity and imagination. But what these three different types of play have in common is the fact that they bring everyone closer together. In “Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight” the Balinese men use cocks in a type of play called cockfighting. A cockfight is a type of blood sport in which two cocks are put into an arena to duke it out against one another. The winner is obviously the last one standing. But what good comes out of this type of play? Although there are winners in these types of sports or any sport for that matter, losers are present also. The loser is often the one who is left with the repercussions. They have to deal with their emotion after the loss as well as scrutiny from others. This may be something hard to cope with as they are not used to this kind of thing. That is why child’s play is much better and more important. When children are playing, competition is virtually nonexistent. Children are carefree and enjoy the time they have with their toys.
They don’t think about winning or losing. So they would not have to think about any repercussions. The fact that this does not worry them can teach them that there isn’t always competition. There are people out there who still do things for fun or just because. I believe that the sooner they grasp this idea, the farther they will be able to go in life. “The story of a Sand Pile” says a lot of a child’s creativity and imagination. The whole article is an elaborate depiction of kids who made something out of a mere “sand pile”. They made buildings, a community, animals and many more. Children’s play is a way for a child to develop their creativity. They can find the simplest object around them and imagine a whole new world to create. One moment they may be in a forest and in the next, they will be in space. The possibilities are immeasurable. Having a big imagination at such a young age can transfer to when they are an adult. As their imagination grows, their opportunities at many jobs will have no end. Even though deep play, play at work, and children’s play are all different, they all have one thing in common. They bring people closer together. In the case of the cockfight, spectators of all ages go to a common ground to watch the cockfight. They might have a difference in opinion on who they want to win but they are all there to watch and do the same thing. They are surrounded by people who share the same interests. “Banana Time” is a great article that shows people getting closer. The workers of a small factory all come together to relieve boredom by joking around with each other. It is sort of like school where people you may not even know, come together and joke around. Child’s play easily brings people together. Children have a wide variety of imagination so they are bound to find people to have the same interest. Even adults who see their child have so much fun would join their kid in whatever they are doing. Play is so diverse that it is difficult to tell what is the best or preferred. But based on the three article based on deep play, play at work, and children’s play, I believe that children’s play is the most important. It has no repercussions and it helps shape a child’s creativity. But most importantly, child’s play can bring people closer together.