This final work from a visionary game designer reveals how a surprising range of play-based experiences can unlock our imagination and help us capture the power of fun and delight.
Bernard De Koven (1941-2018) was a pioneering designer of games and theorist of fun. He studied games long before the field of game studies existed. For De Koven, games could not be reduced to artifacts and rules; they were also about experiencing fun. His final book,
The Infinite Playground
, is about the power of the imagination: the imagination as a playground, a possibility space, and a gateway to wonder.
De Koven guides the readers through a series of observations and techniques, interspersed with games. He begins with the fundamentals of play, and proceeds through the private imagination, the shared imagination, and imagining the world—observing, “the things we imagine can
become
the world.” Along the way, he reminisces about playing ping-pong with basketball great Bill Russell; begins the instructions for a game called
Reception Line
with “Mill around”; and introduces blathering games—
Blather
,
Group Blather
Singing Blather
, and
The Blather Chorale
—that allow the player's consciousness to meander freely.
extends a play-centered invitation to experience the power and delight unlocked by imagination, offering a curriculum for playful learning.