How do we play?
Words by Tara Costello
E
very time I am asked to choose what I do in my spare time on a Buzzfeed quiz, I find myself stuck. I like theatre, but that isn’t really something that I can pick up and put down when I want to. I like to read, but I barely have time for even class readings. As a UofT student facing the pressure to perform well, most of my spare time is spent trying to be productive; working hard rather than playing at all. In an attempt to discover how I play, I decided to ask other members of the Victoria College community the same question. How do we amuse ourselves or spend our time in recreation, if any time at all is dedicated to such fun? I need to find out what I do to play, or I will never find out what hit song from 2012 I am. When I questioned my respondents, I was curious to know how exactly they defined “play”. Is it spontaneous, pre-planned, or something simply in opposition to work? I asked three people how they play, using the definition from Dictionary.com which defines play as “an exercise or activity for amusement or recreation; fun or jest, as opposed to seriousness; to conduct oneself or act in a specified way; to amuse oneself.” Here is how they play.
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PLAY
