What is Play?

Before examining a playful newsroom, a working definition of play is necessary. The term has many applications, ranging from performance to frivolity. Game designers and educators like Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman contextualize “game play” as “the formalized interaction that occurs when players follow the rules of a game.”³⁴ However, they more generally define broader forms of play as “free movement within a more rigid structure.”³⁵ As this encompasses an array of activities, the boundary between games and play can be considered more pedantic than practical.

While play may be perceived as childish or trivial, the fields of psychology and education consider it very seriously. Psychologist Brian Sutton-Smith recognized it as not solely the purview of children. He classified a wide variety of play including contests (traditionally associated with games), audiences’ vicarious engagement with entertainment, social play among friends, and generally playful behavior.

In education, play is subsumed into many contexts—from one of the founding principles of kindergarten to a training aid through embodied simulation. Salen capitalizes on game and play concepts throughout the curriculum of her Quest to Learn school in New York City, which promotes systems thinking, new forms of criticality and literacy, and “situated learning” within the context of a student’s life, neighborhood, and disciplines. While still in its infancy, the school has shown promising results.³⁶

More significant here is what comprises an ethos of play in terms of practice and commercial design. Play and game design require an attitude of experimentation, where designers incessantly test their products based on audience feedback. In fact, most interviewees for this project, be they designers, editors, or writers, emphasized the increasing value of engaging users.

NPR Visuals editor Brian Boyer identified a personal work goal as “harnessing the love” of his followers. “There’s a relationship that we have with our audience that frankly is different than a lot of other news organizations. I mean, nobody puts a Chicago Tribune bumper sticker on the back of their car, but everyone’s got NPR stickers,” he said. Unlike other forms of user-centered design, play is a more continuous, reciprocal process. In an age of perpetual beta, maybe such a playful exchange has become or should become the norm. In addition, forms of play, when done well, are mutually exciting and fun for content creators and consumers.