games * children * play

Dr Nicola Pallitt

Presentation for the

SA Association of Women Graduates

Peace in our times?

24 May 2014

games * children * play

Play in ‘less peaceful’ times…

Generals, John Heywood, 1985

Brothers in Arms, John Heywood, 1985

‘Playing house’ for boys?

?

Caribbean kids playing gangsters with toy guns in bocas del toro Panama, Kalle Ståhlberg, 2013

Candy Cigarette, Sally Mann, 1989

Anna and Virginia, Sally Mann, 1991

Mimicry / imitationFor children, the aim is to imitate adults. This explains the success of the toy weapons and miniatures which copy the tools, engines, arms, and machines used by adults. The little girl plays her mother’s role as cook, laundress, and ironer. The boy makes believe he is a soldier, musketeer, policeman, pirate, cowboy, Martian, etc.

(Caillois, [1961] 2001, p. 21)

‘Hidden transcript’ of play…presses against and tests the limits of what may be safely ventured in terms of a reply to a public transcript of deference and conformity. (Scott, 1990, p. 157-158).

Importance of mimicry & parody in children’s play

The Opies: role of parody and mimicry in children’s play changes in response to socio-historical developments

Children “reflect their immediate environments and often parody adult behaviour” (Harrop-Allin 2010, p. 161) while also working out cross-gender interactions and sexual roles (2010, p. 109).

Ludic gendering

Violence & masculinity

The Sims 2 and sexuality• The Sims 2 play episodes• Girls played lesbian family• ‘Make out’ • heterosexual romance

• Boys’ played ‘dress up’ • Police sexuality

• ‘These clothes are so gay’• Boys don’t wear skinny jeans• Making fun of the bum

Where the girls are…

The Vampire WeddingMark: Wait – you hold L2, now you hold R2 and like make yourselves look like you’re holding hands. Just do it. [Archie hits Tara’s sackgirl instead, the children laugh.] Just hold hands! I want to see what they look like. No, just do it – move your hands down. Stop it Archie! [Archie makes his sack-groom run around in the background, he does not want to hold hands with his sack-bride. Joey hums the wedding march. Archie gives in and comes closer and they try to make their hands touch. Tara hits Archie’s sackboy and they all laugh.] Don’t! I want to see what it looks like. Archie: I don’t. Mark: Now go close, now do it. Joey: You may kiss the bride! Mark: Go a little further away. There we go. (But Archie runs away.) No, go in front of her, then she’s not able to hit you. Kiss or hit the bride? Tara, Archie, Mark and Joey play Little Big Planet (Holiday club, 8 April 2011)

Are these play episodes ‘peaceful’? What can children’s gameplay tell us?

Conclusion• ‘Ludic gendering’ of particular games was

appropriated into children’s play and peer relationships, while mediating their understandings of gender and sexuality • heteronormativity and gender norms in children’s

peer cultures.• familiar playground practices and borderwork

(Thorne, 1993), which characterize children’s non-digital play, are still very salient and cannot be ignored • importance of hypermasculinity and

heteronormativity for this group of children

Game Over?

… what exists is far from filling all possible spaces… What can be

played? –Michael Foucault (1997, p. 139-140)

More info…• Email: nicola.pallitt@uct.ac.za• Twitter: @nicolapallitt • Thesis available at http://oatd.org/