Learning the rules of play

Caroline Pelletier examines the social functions which a group of students ascribed to play, and how they used play as a framework for making meaning. The findings are based on a research study which involved students analyzing a variety of board games, including the relationship between their rules and the kinds of pleasures these provided. The aim of the study was to generate a vocabulary for describing games and a design practice to create new ones. The analysis throws some light on debates in the literature on how play can be interpreted as a social practice.