The Play Ethic and The Toy Industry

Slide 1: PL ING O PART T AY UR O CH E L ES ANG IV An overview of the role of toys and play in today’s society Pat K author of “T Play Ethic” ane he

Slide 2: Play is moving to the centre of our value-systems in the W est, after nearly two centuries sitting on the sidelines of the industrial age.

Slide 3: In the 00’s, play is a positive mainstream lifestyle identity London, 7 April, 9am-12pm

Slide 4: In the 00’s, play is also a mainstream political goal - at national level… ‘Y we can’ es From the ‘I need’ to the ‘I want’ to the ‘I can’ generation “In society, the spectators are taking the stage, and becoming players themselves” - D. M iliband

Slide 5: And a mainstream political goal - at global level… 1989 UN C onvention on the rights of the child, General Assembly Resolution 44/25, A rticle 31 1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts. T 2007 Unicef he report on Britain’s poor environment for children has been a huge spur to reform… H will toy-makers ow participate in this?

Slide 6: New science of play - bringing many insights to the role of play, toys and technology in childrens’ (and adults’) lives ….

Slide 7: “Scientists who study play, in animals and humans alike, are developing a consensus view that play is something more than a way for restless kids to work off steam; more than a way for chubby kids to burn off calories; more than a frivolous luxury. Play, in their view, is a central part of neurological growth and development - one important way that children build complex, skilled, responsive, socially adept and cognitively flexible brains.” Play is “adaptive potentiation” (Sutton-Smith) - we do the experiments, and take the risks, of play, to increase our “response abilities”, to improve our survival rate alongside other complex social animals.

Slide 8: Society, culture, technology, national and international politicians and hard science are now all taking play seriously…. Shouldn’t this be a golden age for toy-makers? In 2007, we know why it isn’t… …Let’s explore how it could be…

Slide 9: PL , T Y AND T E NET AY O S H Driven by the Millenials/G Y and their younger brothers and en sisters, we are becoming a society that is accustomed to 'playing together' through communication networks. Can toy manufacturers match, or tap into, this playful energy we see children and young adults exerting in the virtual world?

Slide 10: PL , T Y AND T E NET O RT AY O S H : PPO UNITIES? A lot of parental worry about the net - toy makers can create ‘safe havens’ by extending the ‘good play’ inherent in their brands on line. A ‘Spore’ toy, designed by Spore player, made by EA… could kids develop their own toy-objects online - and could they be 3D-printed, either locally or mail-order?

Slide 11: PL , T Y AND ‘Q IT -O IFE’ AY O S UAL Y F-L In an accelerating society, ’a chance to play together' - at home, on holiday or in a 'third space' (like Starbucks) - becomes a precious opportunity for children, adults and families to restore balance. H can ow toys and games playing Cranium at become the Xmas   opportunity for that? 

Slide 12: PL , T Y AND ‘Q IT -O IFE’ AY O S UAL Y F-L Q uality-of-life can also be anxieties about consumerism, about environmental wastefulness… the ‘inconvenient truths’ Some discomfort in this ‘post- materialist’ world-view for the toy industry W is this ho man?

Slide 13: PL , T Y AND AY O S ‘Q IT -O IFE’ “Our epidemics of UAL Y F-L addiction could be “Play is to work as caused by the lack waking is to of restorative play dreaming – that is, in our lives – we play is restorative… 'lose ourselves' in A history of play thrills and pills creates a pool of because we don't good feelings that have the families can draw on opportunity to 'find in hard times…” ourselves' in play”. “Play is also an aerobic workout for the human capacity to change. Perhaps a sustained immaturity is an advantage in a constant world of change. T stop playing is to stop developing” o

Slide 14: PL , T Y AND EDUCAT N AY O S IO K completely absorbed ids by digital games and toys with ascending levels of difficulty… … but bored and unengaged with the traditional topics and methods of the curriculum. Is there a chance for toy- makers to bridge this huge gap?

Slide 15: PL , T Y AND EDUCAT N AY O S IO T have always been informal opportunities for oys learning - from baseball cards to Pokemon…

Slide 16: PL , T Y AND EDUCAT N AY O S IO PLAY - “the capacity to experiment with your surroundings as a form of problem solving” Other “core skills for the new participatory culture” in this report were: PERFORMANCE, SIMUL ING NEW AT W RLDS, REMIXING O , MULT ASK , USING DIG AL IT ING IT T OSW O L ELL, SH ARING …Surely some opportunity K W NO LEDG JUDG E, EMENT , for innovative toys there? NAV AT ACRO MEDIA, IG ING SS T LERANCE O PERSPECT ES… O F IV

Slide 17: PL , T Y AND H AN NAT AY O S UM URE T Y DO H E T BECO INST O S N’T AV O ME RUMENT O EDUCAT N AND S F IO ELL … H O W -BEING T EY CAN BE H RRIBLE T O - IT NAT O ’S URAL! “In the tough play-cultures of the schoolyard, children learn all those necessary arts of trickery, deception, harassment, divination and foul play that their teachers won’t teach them but are most important in successful human relationships in marriage, business and war.” Brian Sutton-Smith, T asoys Culture, 1994

Slide 18: PL , T Y AND H AN NAT AY O S UM URE CRIT SAY T AT H ILY ICS H EAV ‘BRANDED/SCRIPT T Y ED’ O S LIMIT CHILDREN’S IMAG INAT N. BUT H W IO O UNLIMIT IS CH ED ILDREN’S IMAG INAT N ANY AY IO W ? MAY CH AN ILDREN teach their younger siblings how to pretend in the most David Lancy, an anthropologist at Utah pedestrian of ways, State University: ‘‘Children’s make- ‘‘focusing their attention believe and, by extension, other play on washing, caring for forms, is constrained by the roles, babies and cooking’’ scripts and props of the culture they live in.”

Slide 19: PL Y UR PART T CH E L ES AY O O ANG IV H T AT MEANS AN EV G ER EN REAT RESPO NSIBILIT T CREAT RICH Y O E NARRAT ES AND ST RIES FRO T Y MAK IV O M O ERS AND PRO RAM G MAKERS… A G REAT H IC UMANIST AND ART IC CH LENG IST AL E! H W DO Y U MEET T AT CH ENG SO ADV O O H ALL E? ME ICE FRO ‘MAJO FUN’ (BERNIE DE K V M R O EN, DEEPFUN.CO M) - Make your workplaces fun. - Connect your departments. - Don't just design for kids, design with kids. - Don't waste our time with a Star W version of ars Monopoly that plays just like Monopoly. G us the ive kind of Monopoly L uke and Darth played when they were kids. - And make it fun and profitable, in equal parts.

Slide 20: PL Y UR PART T CH E L ES AY O O ANG IV FUN… PRO ABL FIT E… AND ET ICAL H ! Patkane@theplayethic.com www.theplayethic.com