@article{Ferreira_2015, title={Why Play? Examining the Roles of Play in ICTD}, volume={1}, url={https://tidsskrift.dk/ashcc/article/view/21264}, DOI={10.7146/aahcc.v1i1.21264}, abstractNote={<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>The role of technology in socio-economic development is at the heart of ICTD (ICTs for development). Yet, as with much Human Centered technology research, playful inter- actions with technology are predominantly framed around their instrumental roles, such as education, rather than their intrinsic value. This obscures playful activities and under- mines play as a basic freedom. Within ICTD an apparent conflict is reinforced, opposing socio-economic goals with play, often dismissed as trivial or unaffordable. Recently a slow emergence of studies around play has led us to pro- pose a framing of it as a capability, according to Amartya Sen, recognizing and examining its </span><span>instrumental</span><span>, </span><span>construc- tive</span><span>, and </span><span>constitutive </span><span>roles. We discuss how play unleashes a more honest and fair approach within ICTD, but most importantly, we argue how it is essentially a basic human need, not antithetical to others. We propose ways for the recognition and legitimization of the play activity in ICTD.</span></p></div></div></div>}, number={1}, journal={Aarhus Series on Human Centered Computing}, author={Ferreira, Pedro}, year={2015}, month={Oct.}, pages={12} }