The State of Play in Times of Crisis

Is there room to play in times of deep crisis?

We live in a time of crisis - humanitarian, political, economic, spiritual, and ecological - wherever we look, things don’t appear to work anymore. Or even worse, maybe they never worked, but now it fully comes to the surface (yes, capitalism and patriarchy, I look at you). At work, and before that in my research, I followed the question: can play foster transformation? Can we grow and learn by playing? To cut it short - yes, we can. Play and games are wonderful tools to foster our growth, transformation, and development. However, there are three things that matter:

First: The willingness of the player to immerse in the game or playful setting. The power of play comes from a state of openness and freedom to engage in it, to let go for a moment, and accept the game as a reality with certain rules, limits, and opportunities.

Second: The context of the playful engagement, the setting, and who we engage with. It matters how we engage in the game, if we care about the people, and if we can create a context that allows the learning of the play experience to transfer into the “real” world. People need to feel safe to do so, sometimes need support in the transfer, or just space to reflect on what happens and the ability to translate.

Third: Kairos - the ancient Greek word for the “right moment.” Learning and transformation can’t be forced - it’s like a jigsaw puzzle; suddenly, things click. Therefore, games and play are an invitation, an opportunity to grow, not a guarantee. Otherwise, they would lose their magic, their power, their potential. They are spaces created for a specific time and only exist through the players that allow them to be - now. They are very present, and therefore allow us to be present. And in the right moment, they can cause a deep shift in us.

I believe the jigsaw puzzle of transformational play has some golden puzzle pieces to offer. It’s not that we will always consciously know it, but when we enjoy what we play, open up to it, and experience something new - different from our patterns - it allows other puzzle pieces to twist and turn.

But then the crises come, the stress, the worry, the existential battle, the heaviness, and hopelessness, and it feels like there is no space to play. Or even worse, playing almost feels like a sin. How can we have lightness, joy, or escape when the crisis asks for our attention? The drama of the crises almost feels like the counterpart of playfulness, like its enemy. So what now? Play or fight? Stay worried and serious or allow playfulness and joy in?

I think this is a very difficult question to answer, particularly in times like this. How do the people in crisis feel if someone is asking for more playfulness? So I will only share three questions that spark something in me:

1. How would our world look today if there were more space to play? If we didn’t think that life is a problem to solve, but an opportunity to experience? What if we had been more explorative, less fixated, and not always so goal-driven but playful? Where would we be?
2. What if we could create play spaces within the crisis, to allow ourselves to escape for a moment and then share what we found? What if it would give the tightness of the drama some breathing space and new perspectives? What if we returned differently from playing, saw the world anew, and maybe discovered alternatives to what is going on?
3. What if we see the crisis as a game too? What kind of game is it? What rules do we follow? What can we change and what can’t we? And who said we can’t change that? What if the crisis is the ultimate state of play, demanding transformation more than ever? What if we never needed play more than now, when it feels like we can’t?

Answers to these questions will not change the times of crisis we are in, but maybe they give us hope and trigger our curiosity and openness. Because without that, we can’t get out of any crisis - we get stuck within it. So to answer my initial question: Yes, there is room for play in crisis - if we dare to open the door and step inside. In doing so, we might just find the tools to transform our world.