Category Archives: Play

Montreal art installation rewards cooperative play with musical novelty

I really appreciate the combination of social play and music that went into this very simple but very rich piece of public art.

Posted in A Minor Post, Art & Design, Cooperation, Installation Art, Play, Public Art, Web | 1 Comment

Can playing games make the world a better place?

One of the very talented students I work with in the Envirolutions club, Rhett Bradbury, pointed me towards the work of Jane McGonigal, a game designer and evangelist for the idea that games can save the world. For Rhett, her work is … Continue reading

Posted in A Major Post, Cooperation, Cultural Evolution, Development, Emotion, Evolutionary Psychology, Happiness, Health & Medicine, Human Evolution, Mismatch Theory, Phenotypic Plasticity, Play, Psychological Adaptation, Psychology, Radio & Podcasts, Social Networks, Subsistence, Web | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Mount Everest and the limits of play

Photo: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panoramique_mont_Everest.jpg The traditional spring climbing season has come to an end in the Himalaya and 2012 has turned out to be a pretty deadly year. On Mount Everest — the most storied and trafficked Himalayan peak — ten people … Continue reading

Posted in A Major Post, Cultural Evolution, Evolutionary Psychology, Human limits, Memetic Fitness, Mismatch theory, Play, Survival | Leave a comment

What can Dean Potter teach us about evolution?

I have a bit of an obsession with why people push limits in particular sports. Although I am far from a big limit-pusher myself, I do enjoy the more dangerous forms of skateboarding, bicycling, and snowboarding. Of late I have … Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Cultural Evolution, Film & Television, Happiness, Memetic Fitness, Play, Psychological Adaptation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment