In the Western educational tradition, play has often held a marginal position, associated with childhood, leisure time, or forms of escapism. Yet, growing attention from educational sciences has shown that play—far from being a merely childish activity—can be a powerful formative device even in adult education contexts, especially those marked by vulnerability or restriction. When play is structured, rule-based, and symbolically meaningful, it can become a space for exploration, reflection, and transformation.
In his classic Homo Ludens (1938), Huizinga emphasized that play precedes culture and forms one of its original matrices. Play is a free activity, yet governed by rules; separate from everyday life, yet capable of altering it; fictitious, yet profoundly real in its emotional and cognitive effects. This ambivalence makes it particularly suited to education: play enables individuals to simulate complex situations, test roles, and engage with uncertainty and risk in a protected environment. For adults, play is not regression but a sophisticated form of situated learning.
In pedagogical theory, Vygotsky (1978) highlighted how play fosters the development of higher psychological functions: planning, self-control, and symbolic thinking. While his work focused on childhood development, the principle extends to adult education, especially when the goal is to promote transversal competencies such as critical thinking, cooperation, self-regulation, and self-awareness. Learning through play is experiential and allows for the integration of cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions.
In complex settings such as prison, play also takes on a reparative function. Winnicott (1971) placed play at the center of identity development, defining it as a transitional space in which the individual can express themselves without being overwhelmed by reality or norms. In play, the adult can act and imagine themselves differently, temporarily freed from social labels and imposed roles. This suspension is not an escape, but a condition that makes transformation possible.
In rule-based games such as chess, for instance, the player must make strategic decisions, confront the consequences of their actions, tolerate frustration, and reformulate their thinking. These dynamics are not only cognitive: they activate emotional and relational resources, such as empathy (in anticipating the opponent’s moves), error management, and the ability to collaborate or engage in constructive rivalry. Bateson (1972) analyzed play as a “metacommunicative context,” in which messages are doubly coded: an act of aggression is not a real attack, but a symbolic “let’s pretend.” This fiction allows individuals to explore complex moral and social scenarios in a form that protects while educating.
The pedagogical value of play in adult education also lies in its ability to build temporary communities. During a playful activity, relationships are reconfigured, hierarchies suspended, and roles can be inverted. This encourages the emergence of authentic participatory dynamics, in which each person contributes to the construction of meaning. In contexts where subjectivity is fragile or fragmented—such as prison or reintegration programs—play can help rebuild trust, agency, and belonging.
Ultimately, playing seriously means recognizing play as a meaningful practice. It is not a break between the “serious” moments of learning, but a dense modality of education, capable of integrating knowledge with feeling, reflection with action. For the educator, this requires a complex gaze: the ability to design the game, sustain its dynamics, and grasp its transformative potential without reducing it to a mere didactic tool. When it is authentic, play is a fully-fledged educational event.
References
- Bateson, G. (1972). Steps to an Ecology of Mind. Chandler Publishing Company.
- Huizinga, J. (1938). Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.
- Winnicott, D. W. (1971). Playing and Reality. Tavistock Publications.
Authored by: SKILL UP
