Poem about Play: Response 2

To understand the power in the play, we need to live it. Live the transformation and dynamism of it and experience a transformation within. It gives us a space to refigure things and generate new practices.

Play has been a firm source of understanding social processes of humans.

An essential part of play deeply resonates with learning and cognitive development, a sense in which play is understood as a tool of understanding the self.

The ability of playing is becoming a part of everyone’s lifestyle. “Critical play” is obtained by everyone and can be experienced through playing board games, video games, and even your typical “tag” or “hide and go seek.

Play is a social aspect in that it is a tool that helps individuals understand the world as it is, it requires thinking and we then develop skills that we use for the future that we may not even have realized we were developing these social skills.

It is a mode of learning and therefore a way of knowing. It is kinesthetic way of learning things around you. We do it through mimesis. We understand the rules and act accordingly

Critical Play is a type of play that serves answers certain questions about human life

Critical play can also subvert norms and rules in order to create new one

Language plays a large part, what is said to us and what we read influences us, and what we say to people is important as well.

Play has been transformed in the realm of technology as well.

Games are a sort of social technology, as they create certain meanings involving social relations and make every day actions more easily understood among players.

Although play can be used and interpreted many ways depending on culture, society, etc, it creates similar emotions that I’m sure we all share.

 

Critical Play : Response 1

The act of play is a concept deeply rooted in civilization. As suggested by Malaby, play is older than culture and has long been incorporated into the daily acts carried out by humans and animals alike. As suggested by Priya in her blog Play! Critical Play. Technical Play. But Play is just play!, play is play and it has formulated way before humans even stepped on earth. Play whether its technical, physical or dramatic stimulates creativity, imagination and possibly even a sense of living. Play allows individuals to undergo a communicative transformation. Further, the concept of play carries a contagion affect with it. It has the power to be highly influential and transform the individuals within its space. As seen during sport events, the act of play whether its hockey or soccer has the power to transform the audience and affect their mood and behavior. The power of play is so strong it can even join nations together. Further play can evoke a sense of addiction through its power to heighten one’s sensory perception. As seen in the examples of gambling addiction, the trance induced by the slot machine play transforms individuals to a world of a subjective reality. Even something as simple as watching children play when you are suppose to concentrate on homework as suggested by Priya in her blog, can be an experience that draws one in, encouraging a mimetic communication. Further, the act of play allows individuals to enter multiple desired realities. Video games through its visual captivity can transform individuals to a point where one loses a sense of reality for hours even days. Throughout the course of play, there seems to exist a sense of infectious communication that influences the external space and transforms the individuals in it. As suggested by Priya, play is ambiguous and thus has multiple definitions and impacts however play is also very powerful with the abilities to transform people and spaces through a sensory enhancement attribute.

 

Human Machine Addiction

Human addictions are often understood as mental or behavioral disorders closely linked to mental illness and fundamentally based on a subject’s increased dependency to a particular object. While emphasis is often placed on the problem of the user or the product itself, what is often absent from the analysis of human addictions is the problematic interaction between the product and the user. A Human- Machine Addiction by Natasha Shull examines the emerging repeated interaction between a user and a specific object that ultimately produces a desirable subjective shift. She emphasizes the relationship between the subject and the object rather than its attributes as separate entities. As Shull examines the human addiction of gambling, she explains the process as a distinctive procedural and phenomenological routine that produces a unique cycle of energy and concentration and a corresponding cycle of affective peaks and dips. Gambling has the ability to perpetuate a trance like state that dissolves the world of the player into a subjective suspension and affective calm derived from the act of play alone. Further, she dismisses the approach to treat technology as purely materialistic and neutral but as in constant dynamic encounter with humans. Shull develops a concept of a shared zone that is developed through the act of gambling, bringing gamblers together from diverse walks of life. The zone as a carefully constructed environment is based on architectural strategies, technological capacities, affective states and cultural values. As illustrated in the picture comparison of a web café and a casino presented in class, it is evident physical spaces are constructed in a specific manner to evoke the experience of the zone. The space of a casino is designed in a dimmed setting with no sense of time and desirable service to create an external reality that a player can immerse himself in. Further, the very act of gambling creates a subjective reality for the player that operates as a sensory stimulant. As explained by the lady in the short video presented in class, gambling is not about winning. It is about the high that is experienced during the encounter between then user and the machine. My first experience at the casino had a similar impact on my sensory perception. Initially I did not feel heightened excitement to gamble however once immersed in the atmosphere and interacting with the machines, something has developed within me that caused my awareness to heighten and I became more involved in the act. Whether it was the zone created in my surrounding space or the interaction with the machines or a combination of both, something occurred in the space of a casino that appealed to my sensorium. As this trance like embodiment, appeals to a bodily experience of the player and stimulates a sensory experience, one is able to remove themselves from their daily practices and through an interactive relationship with the object of addiction develop a desired world of their own. Further, the affective states of designers, marketers and managers of the devices act at a distance to solicit and sustain specific acts of human behavior.  Therefore the dynamic interaction between the user and the object is not build on a two way relationship foundation but inflicted upon by external contributing factors. It is essential to consider, if the interaction between the addicted and the addiction is influenced by surrounding factors then the heightened sensory experience developed as a result of the addiction is also impacted by a number of contributing forces. Ultimately, it becomes questionable how influential are cultural, social and economic forces on our sensory perception. It is evident our sensory experiences are not neutral but shaped by external forces. While, external forces have the ability to heighten our sensory experiences, the question remains whether these influences have a positive or a negative final outcome?

After Affect

In the contemporary world, people engage in a constant flow of communication and interaction exchange that fundamentally alters their relations. As part of everyday functioning, human and non-human life is continuously intersected with implications that ultimately influence their sensory perception. As suggested by Anna Gibbs in After Affect, a relation process of mimetic communication is experienced in our daily lives. Mimetic communication as a pervasive sharing of form that seems to be the fundamental communication principles, runs through all levels of behavior in human and animal bodies ultimately connecting to other processes in the natural world. Mimesis as explained by Gibbs is a multidisciplinary approach that draws upon science and humanities, therefore it is both nature and culture. It has the power to imply particular affects transmitted from body to body. As illustrated in the example of facial expressions, mimetic impulse operates on a response level, eliciting and mimicking the same affect as observed from another source. For example, facial expressions are easily observed and copied. When an individual smiles, an automatic reaction to smile back is triggered. Similarly, when an individual is frowning it is easy to adapt those emotions even if one was previously smiling. As explained by Gibbs, the face plays a central role in the expression and communication of affects. This affect is recognized and implemented in the simple tasks of every day life such as in the workplace as well as in the media and business realm. Billboards and magazines ads are constructed in a manner that is designed to evoke emotions in the observer and ultimately have him mimic the model. Further, it is not only facial expression that mimicry can evoke but bodily actions as well. When we watch someone performing an action, the mirror system of humans evokes. I often find myself, mirroring actions of actors on TV when immersed in a television show or even when watching a play at the theater. At times, my body experiences an instant reaction to mimic the emotions and actions of the observed even though I am physically removed from the scene. It is evident that physical space does not mean one can not create emotional or mental connections. Through simple observations of bodily movement and facial expressions, body language can be easily read and adopted whether intentionally or not. The response that our bodies experience is sometimes subconscious and we often do not realize the mimicry our bodily movement is producing. As illustrated in the play Sleep No More, the audience automatically mimicked the actions of the crowd, not knowing what to expect next, when they followed the actors as they moved through space ultimately conjoining the momentary world of the audience with the world of the actors. As experiences are communicated and shared between individuals, subjective worlds come into momentary contact with each other. I often find myself smiling and laughing in response to my sister’s excitement even when I am not exactly aware of the circumstances. It is in that moment that our two separate worlds are joined together. However it is not only human life that can be mimicked but animal life as well. On multiple occasions we mimic the excitement of our dog when he is running around outside or feel a slight jump when our cat jumps from the counter. Gestures as suggested by Gibbs are material carriers that help bring meanings into existence. Our sensory perception is continuously intersected with the sensory perceptions of our surrounding human and animal life. In addition, objects such as foods can trigger mimetic communication. The scent of coffee or sight of our favorite food can immediately cause us to lick our lips and salivate as a responsive reaction to the perception of our senses. All experiences have the power to trigger sensory receptors in our bodies and cause our senses to react to the observed ultimately influencing and heightening our awareness.

The Egg and The Sperm

The social constructions of stereotypes are central to our perception of the world around us. As explained by Emily Martin in The Egg and the Sperm: How Science has Constructed a Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles, culture shapes how even biological scientists describe what they discover about the natural world. Further, she examines the scientific accounts of reproductive technology and explains how gender stereotypes are hidden with scientific language of biology. Through an analysis on the representation of the egg and the sperm, Martin notes a marked contrast between the descriptions of each reproductive organ. The sperm is commonly illustrated as the superior reproductive organ while the egg is seen as the degenerate and expelling reproductive part. Further, the egg is portrayed to behave “femininely while the sperm behaves “masculinely “as an active participant. It is evident, these illustrations imply typical gender stereotypes and continue to reproduce them through these powerful representations. In addition, implanting of social imagery on representations of nature lays a firm basis for reproducing exactly the same imagery as natural explanations of social phenomena. Implementing socially constructed stereotypes in natural science constitutes a powerful message suggesting these ideas are natural and beyond alteration. Natural science carries a certain value in today’s society and it is often presupposed that what it claims must be true. Therefore if natural science is projecting messages and illustrations that support and enhance social constructions, it is only likely that these ideals will be internalized by society and its individuals. The internalization of socially constructed stereotypes is further reproduced in the ways our bodies behave. Males and females have adapted to occupy their space in different ways. For example, females commonly sit with their legs crossed while males usually sit with their legs spread further apart, therefore occupying more space. It is small subconscious acts such as the ways individual genders carry themselves that portray the internalization of stereotypical notions. Further, gender stereotypes can be influential on the sensory perception. For example, the sense of touch has been historically developed in accordance with gender associations. Females are commonly associated with soft touch while males are commonly associated with a rough or tougher sense of touch. The sensory perception of sound has also been shaped by gender specifications. Loud and harsh sounds carry an underlying male connotation to it, while soft and soothing sounds are often perceived as more feminine. While these associations are not natural, they have been constructed and internalized through the implementation of gender specific stereotypes. Further, as individuals internalize stereotypes, they begin to behave according to these misconceptions ultimately shaping how their bodies operate in space. The process of implementing gender specific stereotypes can have extreme social consequences. It goes beyond the perception of reproductive organs as passive or active. It is the projection of cultural imagery that not only influences our understanding of the world and nature, but influences our actions and behaviors ultimately making them seem as natural. As Martin suggests, it is essential to become aware of the socially constructed imagery that exists as by becoming aware of its implications, we gain the power to de-naturalize the social conventions about gender. However, I view her suggestion somewhat problematic. It becomes questionable whether we can truly de-naturalize social conventions about gender by becoming aware of their implications. If social stereotypes have become so deeply embedded in our culture that they occupy the realm of natural science, can this impact be reversed?