Participatory games aren’t for everyone | Letters
Janet Knowlson questions the urge to pursue activities with others, while Peter Hazlewood says modern, simple tabletop games are the ultimate ice-breaker. Plus letters from Martin Macarthur, James Stanier and...
By Guardian Staff · The Guardian Opinion
Janet Knowlson questions the urge to pursue activities with others, while Peter Hazlewood says modern, simple tabletop games are the ultimate ice-breaker. Plus letters from Martin Macarthur , James Stanier and Elizabeth Barbour Oh how I do so agree with Emily Watkins in her article on participatory games ( The hill I will die on: Games are the opposite of fun, and I’d ban them for anyone over 12, 1 August ). Do people not know and appreciate the sentiments of the poem Leisure by WH Davies, which begins with: “What is this life if, full of care, / We have no time to stand and stare”? Why the restless urge to pursue some activity with others rather than engage in the art of conversation or simply enjoy the pleasure of one’s own company? My local park, which is a lovely green space with a duck pond and where I like to walk with my dog most days, is taken over on a Sunday morning by folk engaging in a parkrun. Help ma boab, whatever next? They can’t even manage to canter around on their own if that be their thing. Oh no, it has to be an organised event in the company of others, with stewards shouting encouragement to them as they circumnavigate the park following each other like lemmings. No wonder Anthony Newley sang Stop the World – I Want to Get Off. Janet Knowlson Perth Continue reading...