Blog Post #2

 In Huzuigas article, Play is described as a human instinct and is seen in many examples throughout the animal kingdom. This can explain why play is naturally seen in children and doesn't require instructions. On page 7 Huzuiga states "The Play concept must always remain distinct from other forms of thought in which we express the structure of mental and social life". While I agree with this statement to a certain extent, I think there are instances we see play that can actually elevate our understanding of mental and social life.  In the article The Rhetoric of Video Games by Ian Bogost, he goes into detail about the use of video games and play. His example of animal crossing is a perfect example of how play can go hand and hand with mental and social life. Video games are playful escapes from the real world, but many games have real world principles and lesson to be taught with in the workings of the games. Animal crossing for example allows children to purchase mortgages and pay off debts to buy certain upgrades and properties within the game. While the word play can have whimsical and fictional connotations, play with in some of these video games truly give kids a base in terms of morals and life lessons learned. These video games also teach children the idea of rule following. "The possibility space of play includes all of the gestures made possible by a set of rules. As Salen and Zimmerman explain, imposing rules does not suffocate play but makes it possible in the first place"(Bogost pg 120).  Video games give human beings unlimited possibilities of spaces for play, this is how the universal principle of following rules can help be established in young children's brains through the use of video games. 

The last article touches on the seriousness of game content. The game released Slave Tetris in 2015 gave children the responsibilities of stacking humans into a boat in order to beat the game. Drawing a connection to Bogost's article, he states that "Video games have the power to make arguments, to persuade and express ideas". This is important when relating to this game because the children playing this game don't understand the offensive nature of this game and most likely had fun playing it like any other Tetris game. This hateful game was rightfully taken down .