{"product_id":"play-anything-ian-bogost-9780465051724","title":"Play Anything: The Pleasure of Limits, the Uses of Boredom, and the Secret of Games","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow filling life with play\u003c\/b\u003e-\u003cb\u003ewhether soccer or lawn mowing, counting sheep or tossing Angry Birds -- forges a new path for creativity and joy in our impatient age\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Life is boring: filled with meetings and traffic, errands and emails. Nothing we'd ever call \u003ci\u003efun\u003c\/i\u003e. But what if we've gotten fun wrong? In \u003ci\u003ePlay Anything, \u003c\/i\u003e visionary game designer and philosopher Ian Bogost shows how we can overcome our daily anxiety; transforming the boring, ordinary world around us into one of endless, playful possibilities. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The key to this playful mindset lies in discovering the secret truth of fun and games. \u003ci\u003ePlay Anything, \u003c\/i\u003e reveals that games appeal to us not because they are fun, but because they set \u003ci\u003elimitations\u003c\/i\u003e. Soccer wouldn't be soccer if it wasn't composed of two teams of eleven players using only their feet, heads, and torsos to get a ball into a goal; Tetris wouldn't be Tetris without falling pieces in characteristic shapes. Such rules seem needless, arbitrary, and difficult. Yet it is the limitations that make games enjoyable, just like it's the hard things in life that give it meaning. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Play is what happens when we \u003ci\u003eaccept\u003c\/i\u003e these limitations, narrow our focus, and, consequently, have fun. Which is also how to live a good life. Manipulating a soccer ball into a goal is no different than treating ordinary circumstances- like grocery shopping, lawn mowing, and making PowerPoints-as sources for meaning and joy. We can \"play anything\" by filling our days with attention and discipline, devotion and love for the world as it really is, beyond our desires and fears. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Ranging from Internet culture to moral philosophy, ancient poetry to modern consumerism, Bogost shows us how today's chaotic world can only be tamed-and enjoyed-when we first impose boundaries on ourselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Ian Bogost\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0465051723\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780465051724\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Basic Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/13\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.10lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.30h x 6.20w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/13\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2016 pg. 98\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/0001\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/01\/2017","brand":"Ian Bogost","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43919805743359,"sku":"9780465051724","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_12cb3252-1fa8-42e9-ad91-b0706ef5466e.jpg?v=1680812014","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/play-anything-ian-bogost-9780465051724","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}