“I think the most important way to understand play is that it's this property that's in things. Like there's play in a mechanism. For example, there's some play in the steering column before it engages as you're turning the wheel.” ThinkingWayImportantPlayExamplePropertyWheelsMechanismColumnsSteering Author:Ian Bogost
“I think this dichotomy or opposition between work and play, between leisure and serious stuff, is definitely a bad way of thinking about the useful insights that play provides.” ThinkingWayPlayStuffSeriousInsightOppositionLeisureWay Of ThinkingDichotomyWork And Play Author:Ian Bogost
“Play isn't you being clever, or finding a trick, or finding a way of covering over your own misery, or persuading someone to do what you want. It's the process of working with the materials that you find and discovering what's possible with them.” WayWantPlayProcessMaterialsFindingsMiseryWhat You WantCleverTricksOver YouDiscoveringCoveringPersuading Author:Ian Bogost
“We have to always spread sugar on top of it in order that we can tolerate swallowing the things we're supposed to do, which is an incredibly depressing way of thinking about living your life. Not just that your work or your home life would be so miserable that you have to slather sugar on it, but then the sugar is all you're tasting. If that's the only way that I'm finding meaning, then we have this sort of mental diabetes that we're descending into.” IfsThinkingWayHomeWould BeOrderFindingsSpreadMiserableSugarTolerateDepressingLive Your LifeWay Of ThinkingDiabetesTastingDescendingSwallowingHome Life Author:Ian Bogost
“Wouldn't we all rather have the possibility of finding pleasure and delight in literally anything we might encounter? Instead of assuming that actually there are only these three things where pleasure and delight are possible. Like oh, it's television and socialization and work, and then everything else is the smoke I have to somehow choke my way through in order to get to the good parts.” WayMightOrderThreePleasurePossibilityTelevisionFindingsAssumingDelightSmokeMy WayEncountersThree ThingsChokeSocialization Author:Ian Bogost
“Normally if you're dating, you're looking for compatibility, and then the moment that there's incompatibility, you're like, "Well, swipe left on that, let's just keep looking." In some ways I think the same lessons apply to people that apply to objects. It's just much easier to see that lesson in things because they're these fixed intangible lumps of stuff. People are not. They can change.” PeopleIfsThinkingWayWellsMomentsLeftStuffObjectsEasierLessonsDatingFixedLumpsIntangibleCompatibilityIncompatibility Author:Ian Bogost
“My lawnmower can't change in the way that my son can or that I can.” WayI CanSonMy SonCan't Change Author:Ian Bogost
“This willingness to be frank and plain about the way that the world is, is a good first step. But that doesn't mean that you get what you want.” WorldWayWantFirstsMeanStepsWhat You WantWillingnessFrankFirst Steps Author:Ian Bogost
“My wife, there's certain kinds of housework that she just doesn't see as necessary to do in the way that I do. Things like the state of our closet or where things are in the kitchen. I have this almost unhealthily obsessive desire to have things in their place and she just totally doesn't. And this is a potential point of conflict, of course.” WayKindStatesDesireCertainCoursesWifeConflictMy WifeKitchenClosetsObsessiveHousework Author:Ian Bogost
“Forcing your spouse to stop doing that bad habit that drives you crazy, or making your kid be better at math or at art or at swimming, or making your parents or your in-laws not be annoying in the way that they're annoying, these are sometimes doomed goals.” WayArtSometimesKidsLawParentGoalCrazyHabitMathSwimmingAnnoyingDoomedSpouseIn-lawsBad Habits Author:Ian Bogost
“To me, being able to find gratification in more venues, rather than greater gratification in a few, seems like a much more sane way of living.” WaySeemsAbleGreaterSaneGratificationVenues Author:Ian Bogost
