Marbles and Machiavelli: The Role of Game Play in Children’s Social Development
Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title
American Journal of Play
Publication Date
2011
Volume
3
Issue
sswa_facpubs
First Page
489
Last Page
499
Abstract
The authors review several case studies of children engaged in rule-governed play and conclude that the process of learning rules—and of breaking them and making new ones—promotes what they call gamesmanship. They link the development of gamesmanship to the theory of Machiavellian intelligence, which considers social interaction primary in the evolution of human intelligence. They also question the benefits of adult-managed child play and assess the impact it may have on the ability of children to develop gamesmanship.
Recommended Citation
Lancy, D.F. and Grove, M. A., (2011) Marbles and Machiavelli: The role of game play in children’s social development. American Journal of Play. 3: 489-499.