The Hunger Games and the Instrumentalization of Play
Francesco Crocco
Thursday, September 13, 4:15pm
Room 8301
Can play be involuntary? Can it contribute to alienation? Can it be the basis for dystopia? Join Francesco Crocco (Assistant Professor of English at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY) to discuss Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games and other dystopian films and texts in which play is used as a form of social control. This seminar will explore how these examples challenge existing theories about the nature of play and its relation to utopia. Though fictional, these examples point to similar uses of play today with the gamification of everyday life, a process in which game mechanics are exploited to condition certain desired behaviors (better test scores, more consumerism, greater workplace productivity, etc.). We will explore how these examples of fictional and real play complicate the theory of play put forward by Johan Huizinga et al and challenge Bernard Suits theory that play is the basis for utopia.
Free and open to the public. All events take place at The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Ave btwn 34th & 35th. The building and the venues are fully accessible. For more information please visit http://centerforthehumanities.org/ or call 212.817.2005 or e-mail [email protected]
The Hunger Games and the Instrumentalization of Play
Francesco Crocco
Thursday, September 13, 4:15pm
Room 8301
Can play be involuntary? Can it contribute to alienation? Can it be the basis for dystopia? Join Francesco Crocco (Assistant Professor of English at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY) to discuss Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games and other dystopian films and texts in which play is used as a form of social control. This seminar will explore how these examples challenge existing theories about the nature of play and its relation to utopia. Though fictional, these examples point to similar uses of play today with the gamification of everyday life, a process in which game mechanics are exploited to condition certain desired behaviors (better test scores, more consumerism, greater workplace productivity, etc.). We will explore how these examples of fictional and real play complicate the theory of play put forward by Johan Huizinga et al and challenge Bernard Suits theory that play is the basis for utopia.
Free and open to the public. All events take place at The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Ave btwn 34th & 35th. The building and the venues are fully accessible. For more information please visit http://centerforthehumanities.org/ or call 212.817.2005 or e-mail [email protected]
The Come Out and Play Festival is an annual festival of games that turns NYC into an outdoor playground. The main event will take place on Governor’s Island this July 14th, but there is an additional night of games during After Dark at South Street Seaport on July 13th. The festival takes place via partnership with the River to River festival, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, ESI Design, and Gigantic Mechanic. The field day on Governor’s Island includes an exciting list of outdoor games like Humans Versus Mosquitos, a game of tag where players can take turns eradicating mosquitos or feeding off the blood of humans. If that sounds a little too blood thirsty for your tastes, try a round of Balloon Wars, where the history of military strategy can be relived in a fight with balloons. OK, that sounds bloodthirsty too. However, it’s all in good fun, and kids of all ages are encouraged to participate.
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