Bring Back Playtime

Janhavi Gosavi she/her

Over the break, I binged the Toy Story movies. I didn’t follow the storyline, or pay attention to character development. I was too busy seething with jealousy. At kids. Pre-pubescent, unproductive members of society who were not berated for sitting on their asses and playing with cowboys and space rangers all day. As someone who votes and pays taxes, I felt personally attacked. 

When the university calendar year kick starts, I usually swap out my summer spontaneity for a programme centered around study. But 2021 doesn’t have to be all work and no play. So I’m off on a one woman crusade - to bring back playtime. 

Google tells me ‘playtime’ is a “period in the school day when children are allowed to go outside and play”. This clarifies two things. Firstly, that playtime should be a part of the school day, not a treat to be saved for the end of the day. Secondly, that playtime requires permission.

I surveyed 150 Vic students to find out how often they permitted themselves to play. 48% said they allowed themselves playtime more than once a week. 52% said their playtimes were not as often, with a disheartening 10% stating they played less than once a month. 

When asked if they actively made time for playing, 50% answered no. And it’s easy to see why. 

A student’s timetable is full of classes, meetings, and part time jobs. Playtime doesn’t seem like a priority. Your need to be productive may convince you an activity is worthless if it does not have tangible, quantifiable value. Yet health research shows you’re not wasting time by playing, you’re investing it into your own wellbeing. That shit is priceless. 

Russ Pine is a registered psychologist and PhD student at Vic, who is creating a digital mental health game to support young adolescents’ psychological wellbeing. When asked if students should integrate play into their lives, Russ said “there is a strong body of research suggesting merely scheduling play can support mental health because we are actively prioritising these activities”. He also believes play can relieve stress through releasing endorphins, and challenges our cognitive resources through stimulating imagination. While many adults experience the same stressors, those with a playful mindset can free up more cognitive demands to react to stressors in a helpful way. 

There are elements of student life that combine playing and socialising. Making trick shots in beer pong or indulging in a game of Never Have I Ever is all good fun, but doesn’t truly count as playtime. Playtime should be unadulterated, active fun which doesn’t involve social stakes or substances. 

Take Toy Story for instance. The beloved Pixar franchise reminded audiences that all playtime required was a child, their toy, and boundless imagination. Toy Story is centered around “free playing”, which is popular with children because it is improvised and does not adhere to concrete rules.

So what does playtime look like for adults? 

As we grow older, we find free play embarrassing. That's why games are better suited to us. Sebastian Deterding, a gamification researcher, explains in his article ‘Alibis for Adult Play’ that games “leave little mental reserve to become self-conscious” because they are “highly institutionalised, conventionalised, and come pre-legitimized”. Russ also says games can be a self-regulation strategy that provide adults with a mental break to calm themselves.

Through my survey, students voted board games and party games as the most popular games, followed by social sport, and video games. 

As someone who spent a good chunk of her summer at Counter Culture, I can testify that board game cafés slap. Located on Victoria Street, it's popular with students and boasts a collection of over 900 board games. A game pass will cost you $5 with any food or beverage purchase, and grants you access to their board games for 3 hours. 

For a playtime option closer to Kelburn campus, pop into Uni Rec for social sports. They host Just Play, free drop-in sessions for anyone who wants to play sports without the commitment. These sessions run on a weekly timetable and equipment is provided for sports like futsal and volleyball - all you have to do is show up. 

Fin Johnson, a Masters student, plays basketball there for a couple hours every week. Play always has a positive impact on his wellbeing, especially when he takes it as an opportunity to “catch up with a few of the bros”. “The atmosphere is great'', he says, “even better when someone brings the speaker and we can hoop to some good music”. 

Outside of scheduled bookings, Uni Rec also offers its Main Gym, Dance Room, and Boyd-Wilson Field for free casual use. Josie Fitzsimmons, the Sports Manager at Uni Rec, says these spaces are hugely popular for casual play, and mentioned that their table tennis tables are a big hit. Josie recommends students engage in playtime because “it can be built into the day however it suits individuals best, and doesn’t add additional pressure through costs or ongoing commitments”.

If you want to challenge yourself to free playing, improvised theatre could be an option. Nina Hogg, president of Vic’s MmmPop Improv club, says improvisers are called “players” because the lines between improv and play are blurred. Players create characters and situations that play to their audience’s and fellow collaborators’ imaginations. MmmPop has ~jams~, weekly sessions full of improv games that are open to everyone. “Students come out of our jams feeling much happier and lighter, after laughing for the better part of two hours”, says Nina. 

She reckons free playing in front of others can seem daunting because “students aren’t used to using their imaginations without the fear of failing”. Players can burden themselves with the pressure to be funny, but mmmPop provides them with training that focuses on “happy failure” and ensures improv stays fun. 

Nina believes playtime is incredibly beneficial for students because it combines discovery, spontaneity, and communication. “It’s rare that we get to simultaneously stretch all of these muscles while unwinding and enjoying the sensation of playing,” she says. 

Playtime is a thing of beauty, so it shouldn’t be a thing of the past. In between buying textbooks and pinning up the VUWSA wall planner, treat yourself to some endorphins vis a vis playing. And you can catch me, hood up and game face on, making moves at Counter Culture like my life depends on it.