The Playmaker’s Manifesto is a collection of the core values regarding play and invention that I’ve developed working on my capstone project at the Iovine and Young Academy. It is a living document. My hope is that these values will act as personal guidelines for all the projects I work on for the rest of my life.

 The Playmaker’s Manifesto

Play is a tool to create the unexpected

Painting with paint gives us a painting. Playing with paint gives us something else.

We cannot invent for the future without first holding it in our hands.

There is no such thing as user error

Play should never discourage or blame the user. The toy should always work, even when it doesn’t.

When a toy doesn’t work, the unexpected must occur….and that is still play.

Play first…question later

Play should be self explainable in the eyes of the user. Familiarity with the object will beget far more interesting questions.

Tier 1 Questions: What is this? Why are you giving it to me? Is it lunchtime?

Tier 2 Questions: How does it work? What does it look like inside? Can I add Legos to it?

Accessibility is everything

Play should be accessible to all. If it is not accessible, it is not play.

Access to new tools shape how we view our universe, and allow us to shape the universe in return.

Learning and play are the same thing

The division of curricular and experiential is a false barrier.

If we never stop learning, then why should we stop playing?