Problematic Play

  Tim Edensor's "Playing in Industrial Ruins" alludes to ways that play might be problematic. For teenagers and adults, play can include activities like alcohol abuse, destruction, unsafe sex, and other types of unrestricted behavior. Edensor broke these types of play down into four categories: Destructive, Hedonistic, Artistic, and Adventurous. These activities can potentially hurt both the person doing them and the people around him or her. Many of them blur the lines between pleasure versus necessity, productivity versus mindlessness, and more.
        For children, play can be problematic as well. Perhaps some types of play encourage violence, and this would be a horrible thing for children to adapt into their daily lives and normalize. Play can also lead to high levels of competition. Children may use cheating or lying tactics to wrongfully achieve their goals, or may resort to hurting other people's feelings for their own gain.