new book - ludic narrans!
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drew davidson
Mar 28, 2026, 7:29:43 AM (8 days ago) Mar 28
to Professors at Play
hi all - i’m excited to share my latest book… thanks to everyone involved….
cheers! drew
Ludic Narrans (Playing Around). Stories of/by/for the Fields of Play
Ludic Narrans (Playing It Straight). Stories of/by/for the Fields of Play
by Drew Davidson, Emily Matheny, et al.
https://ludicnarrans.org/
Since 2024, Drew Davidson has been conducting an exploratory qualitative study, Stories of/by/for the Fields of Play. Through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and community participation, he has been engaging with stories around the fields of play; like games, mixed reality, theatre, sports, music, child psychology, etc. The concept of play is rather broad and diverse; from social studies, to heath and enjoyment, to education and learning, to games and technology, and more. As such, this is less a focus on a discipline, and more an exploration of the extensive ideas around play, looking for patterns, commonalities, and differences across various areas amongst educational, industry, professional, foundation, and government groups involved in play. This book is a playful thematic oral history of the stories shared.
And the book has morphed into two versions with the same content, organized differently. One, “Playing Around,” is a more playful version, splitting and interweaving the sections amongst each other to let them resonate and make for more of a mix of ideas. The other, “Playing it Straight,” is a more scholarly version that keeps distinct sections for ease of reference. Another way to think of these two versions is as a deck of cards: the latter has all the cards in order, while the former has the cards all shuffled. In both cases, it’s the same content. I believe the two versions need each other to more fully manifest the interwoven tapestry of playful stories shared. Together, they accentuate the elusive nature of play and affirm its significance in our lives.
cheers! drew
Ludic Narrans (Playing Around). Stories of/by/for the Fields of Play
Ludic Narrans (Playing It Straight). Stories of/by/for the Fields of Play
by Drew Davidson, Emily Matheny, et al.
https://ludicnarrans.org/
Since 2024, Drew Davidson has been conducting an exploratory qualitative study, Stories of/by/for the Fields of Play. Through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and community participation, he has been engaging with stories around the fields of play; like games, mixed reality, theatre, sports, music, child psychology, etc. The concept of play is rather broad and diverse; from social studies, to heath and enjoyment, to education and learning, to games and technology, and more. As such, this is less a focus on a discipline, and more an exploration of the extensive ideas around play, looking for patterns, commonalities, and differences across various areas amongst educational, industry, professional, foundation, and government groups involved in play. This book is a playful thematic oral history of the stories shared.
And the book has morphed into two versions with the same content, organized differently. One, “Playing Around,” is a more playful version, splitting and interweaving the sections amongst each other to let them resonate and make for more of a mix of ideas. The other, “Playing it Straight,” is a more scholarly version that keeps distinct sections for ease of reference. Another way to think of these two versions is as a deck of cards: the latter has all the cards in order, while the former has the cards all shuffled. In both cases, it’s the same content. I believe the two versions need each other to more fully manifest the interwoven tapestry of playful stories shared. Together, they accentuate the elusive nature of play and affirm its significance in our lives.
David Thomas
Mar 28, 2026, 9:47:33 AM (8 days ago) Mar 28
to drew davidson, Professors at Play
Congratulations to Drew. This book is a real artifact. I think it will be useful both as documenting the zeitgeist around play, but also acting as a sort of oracle of ideas. Just flipping through the book will give you ideas, provocation and insights. It's like a giant cocktail party of play people in book form.
And true to the Play Story Press ethos, you can purchase a low-cost print version or download the free PDF. (And when I say low cost, remember, this book is huge. Over 700 pages. So the print version is super reasonable for the size!)
Have fun with this one!
David
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