GAMERS CONQUERED THE
MAINSTREAM… WHAT’S NEXT?
PHILIP MINCHIN (philipminchin.com, APILI?)
ANDREW EKIN-SMYTH (Arts Victoria)
ANDREW HISKENS (State Library of Victoria)
SUE MCKERRACHER (Australian Library & Information Association)
NICK RAPPO (Good Games)
ANTONY REED (Game Developers’ Association of Australia)

Games
are
HUGE

Gamers
are
EVERYWHERE

This has
been true
FOREVER

Because
PLAYFULNESS
=
INTELLIGENCE

EVOLUTION OF PLAY
•Mammalian biologists: “Play is training for the
unexpected”.
•Playful: dogs, dolphins, monkeys.
Not playful: jellyfish, beetles, worms.

EVOLUTION OF PLAY
•Mammalian biologists: “Play is training for the
unexpected”.
•Smart: dogs, dolphins, monkeys.
Not smart: jellyfish, beetles, worms.

Ταύτα εφευρόντες, διεσκέδαζον ως ακολούθως κατά
της πείνης· την μεν μίαν ημέραν όλην έπαιζον, διά
να μη σκέπτωνται περί τροφής, την δε άλλην
διέκοπτον τα παιγνίδια και έτρωγον. Χάρις δε εις
το μέσον τούτο, δεκαοκτώ έτη παρήλθον·
- Ηροδοτου, Ιστοριαι, Τομος 1, 94
HISTORY OF PLAY

HISTORY OF PLAY
These games they invented as a resource against the famine,
and thus they used to do:—on one of the days they would
play games all the time in order that they might not feel the
want of food, and on the next they ceased from their games
and had food: and thus they went on for eighteen years.
- Herodotus, History, Book 1, 94

HISTORY OF PLAY
These games they invented as a resource against the famine,
and thus they used to do:—on one of the days they would
play games all the time in order that they might not feel the
want of food, and on the next they ceased from their games
and had food: and thus they went on for EIGHTEENYEARS.
- Herodotus, History, Book 1, 94

JOHAN HUIZINGA
• Linguist
• Cultural historian
Founding figure of
cultural history
• Anti-fascist
• LEGEND

JOHAN HUIZINGA
• Linguist
• Cultural historian
Founding figure of
cultural history
• Anti-fascist
• LEGEND

JOHAN HUIZINGA
• Linguist
• Cultural historian
Founding figure of
cultural history
• Anti-fascist
• LEGEND

JOHAN HUIZINGA
• Linguist
• Cultural historian
Founding figure of
cultural history
• Anti-fascist
• LEGEND

JOHAN HUIZINGA
•Author of Homo
ludens: a study of the
play element in
culture
•Argues that play is in
everything we do

BIOLOGY OF PLAY
•Children who don’t play don’t learn or
develop normally.
•Adults who don’t play lose mental faculties
faster in old age.
•Rat pups forcibly prevented from playing DIE.

Games
are
HUGE

Gamers
are
EVERYWHERE

This has
been true
FOREVER

So naturally we regard
play and games as
IMPORTANT

…right?

SCHOOLS
• Some educators use play in learning:
“show, don’t tell” < “play with, don’t just watch”
(see also several panels right here at PAX!)
• Some also engage with games as subject matter
• Quest 2 Learn schools in the US using play to
structure assessment not just in teaching
• Games for education more common, better

SCHOOLS
• Games rarely seen as valid subject matter themselves
• Structurally and administratively, play considered a
“necessary pressure valve” and a break in learning
• Understanding of play itself (and game design skills)
rarely taught in education degrees
• Systems literacy, psychological literacy/theory of mind
neither assessed nor taught towards

LIBRARIES
• Most public libraries now lend console games
(librarians: PC games e-lending is coming – see me!)
• Most have tabletop games somewhere
• State Libraries are starting to offer some facilities, collections
• Library folks get it more than most, hence…
• International Games Day @ your library
(igd.ala.org/about)

LIBRARIES
• Not considered part of core “culture” business by
managers & funding bodies – little budget or reporting
• Metadata is terrible (no mechanics – try searching for
“first-person” or “platformer” in a catalogue!)
• PC games not well-supported yet (but again – see me!)
• Tabletop games not even catalogued! (or loaned)
• Where are TRPGs? Books that generate stories?

HEALTH
•Research starting to be done into effects of
play on physical & mental health, aging, pain
management, positive psychology, motivation
•Child’s Play!

HEALTH
•Health bodies rarely have games collections
•Research is only useful if read and enacted!
•Even Child’s Play assumes (or at least
reinforces) that play is for children. Need to
keep pushing on play for adults!

(MAINSTREAM) MEDIA
•Games ARE mainstream media now
(though rarely metamedia, media about media)
•Most other (meta)media’s cultural coverage
now somewhat includes videogames
•Beginning to see more openness about play
from public figures

(MAINSTREAM) MEDIA
• Not considered part of “culture”– videogames are usually
included in “tech” coverage (which is OK, but…)
• Tabletop games not covered (except maybe bridge/chess
notes next to crosswords)
• Games still generally assumed to be “for kids” or “for kicks”;
artistic value (and freedom) less assumed
• Discussion about big-picture stuff largely absent

ARTS
•Games ARE art
(They are also Art, and platforms for many other arts)
•Artists in other media mostly see this
(though are naturally focused on their own)
•Most artists & many public servants grok that
play = creativity, games matter

ARTS
•Art bureaucracies (government, philanthropy)
structurally have little to no dedicated funding,
specialist staff… or interest
•Pilot federal funding for videogames cut
•Eligible for “emerging & experimental” funding
(um, games go back decades/millennia!)

WE NEED TO RECOGNISE:
•Games ARE art
(They are also Art, and platforms for many other arts)
•Games teach life skills and analytical thinking
(with a strong link to action)
•Games build community with lower barriers to
participation than sport

WE NEED TO RECOGNISE:
• Play is important to physical and mental health,
learning, creativity & innovation…
• Fun is no more (nor less) trivial than beauty.
(Which is to say: it can be trivial, or distract us from more important things, or
disguise deeper ugliness/unfun. It can also be sublime, and research
indicates there are good reasons it matters to us. It’s a key part of human
nature, something we should aspire both to achieve and to understand.)

SO WHAT DO OUR PANELLISTS THINK?
• Nick Rappo and Antony Reed will talk about the
industry perspective
• Sue McKerracher, Andrew Hiskens and Andrew Ekin-
Smyth will talk about shifting perceptions of – and
support for – games in the library and arts sectors
• And then it’s open to the floor for a while.

Part 2: Proposal

WHAT AM I PROPOSING?
• Cultural change in our culture culture
Specifically, recognising that games and play are
culture…
…and as such they deserve to be treated on a
comparable footing to other kinds.
(We also need to talk about this from the games side.)

WHAT AM I PROPOSING?
• A national home for play
We have homes for written arts, visual arts,
performing arts, and screen arts (which, to be fair,
does include videogames at times) – and of course
sport. Why not games and play?
(See also: Strong Museum of Play, NY; National Videogame Arcade, Nottingham)

WHAT AM I PROPOSING?
• Australian Play, Imagination & Learning Institute
(apili.org)
Part archive,
part library,
part exhibition space,
part workshop,
part playspace

WHAT AM I PROPOSING?
• APILI Remit (what kinds of play?)
Everything that doesn’t have a home elsewhere
(such as sport, music, drama)
Games and game tech obviously a major focus
Also toys, play equipment/furniture, unstructured
play, rules-only games, play in other media…

WHAT AM I PROPOSING?
• APILI Vision
APILI works towards a world where play and games
are as respected, studied, recorded and archived
as other forms of creativity, and their full potential to
bring out the best in humanity is recognised,
explored and developed throughout the culture,
education, health, and self-directed learning
sectors.

WHAT AM I PROPOSING?
• APILI Functions:
Collections of games, toys & tech Spaces for hands-on play
Exhibitions (on-site & toured) Academic & creative research
Creator fellowships Materials for local libraries & schools
eSports/competitive play Organised play support
Creative workshops Clearinghouse & collaboration centre
Conferences, festivals & events Industry support

YOUR THOUGHTS?
•What’s missing?
•What’s realistic?
•What’s essential?
•What’s awesome?

Part 3: Plans

WHAT’S THE PLAN?
•Change the conversation
•Build, map and expand networks
•Crowdsource

•Already happening (this PAX is incredible!)
•This panel, obviously!
•APILI Seminar
•I’m offering consulting & training to schools &
libraries (also game designers/publishers)
•International Games Day @ your library
CHANGING THE CONVERSATION

CHANGING THE CONVERSATION
• More sharing games and play!
• More talking about games in a cultural context –
including from the games side
• More coverage of games and play in other media,
and in their own terms! (e.g. Ebert…)
• More discussion of the benefits of games and play

•This panel, obviously!
•APILI Seminar
•Australian Play Alliance
(australianplayalliance.org)
A mailing list where you register your support
for play/games and your connections, skills
and particular interests
BUILDING NETWORKS

BUILDING NETWORKS
•Spread the word!
•Gamer pride! Be confident about your interest
in games and play (if you aren’t already)
•Use games to network – they’re a great way to
connect after all!
•Be successful/skilled/connected yourself :D

•This panel = early market research
(need to find out if there’s support!)
•Australian Play Alliance obviously a start on
assembling the crowd
(australianplayalliance.org)
CROWDSOURCING

CROWDSOURCING
• What we need:
- Funding & in-kind support - Connections & political support
- Spaces/venues (I have leads) - Word-of-mouth & popular support
- Skills:
Legal advice, Accounting, Event management, Architecture, UX design,
Community management, Grant-writing, Graphic design, Web design,
Coding, Hardware, Teaching, Prototyping, Psychology, Economics…
And of course – game design 

Questions?
Comments?
Thanks!