Play can mean everything, and sometimes nothing at all – and that’s ok. Professor John Potter credits his early career as an East London primary school teacher as a key influence in his research interest in digital media and play. It’s in no way a surprise for RFTRW host Dr Keri Wong to hear that play connects to children’s lives in a way that the statutory curriculum doesn’t.

We think about how TikTok and social media are providing templates from which children construct all sorts of games, what this means, and whether parents should be wary of technology's role in modern play. We also expect to see ways the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced children’s games, which John is investigating via the Play Observatory project.

Full show notes, transcript and links: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2021/may/ways-we-play-digital-communication-and-creativity-rftrw-s09e04

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