In the second part of her book, Bonnie Nardi looks at what makes an "active aesthetic experience," and particularly how "play" fits into that realm. In her first chapter, she looks to both "Activity Theory" along with John Dewey's theory of "aesthetic experience" to sketch out the idea (and value) of "play." The crux of this topic, to me, is the question Nardi poses at the beginning of Chapter Three about World of Warcraft specifically (but also about all forms of play) - "Why do people like it so much?" The question of the appeal of play is an important one if we are to understand its aesthetic appeal. Nardi mentions a few things about WoW that attract people: the progress of "leveling," or the "goal orientation" is a strong appeal; so is the "reinforcement of unpredictable rewards." People like to work toward something, and they like the uncertainty of chance that comes from playing games.
However, the appeal of "gaming" or more generally of "play," Nardi argues, goes beyond any of these things. This is where activity theory and aesthetic experience come in. Activity theory states that activity is motivated by an object, which demands action (conscious) and operations (unconscious, habitual) in order to fulfill that motivational object. Put another way, an activity is made up of both conscious, goal-driven actions, and unconscious, habitual operations put forth to fulfill a motivating object (based on one's desires or passions.) Activity works toward some form of fulfillment based on the motivations of the individual, and grounded upon both his skills in conscious action and subconscious operation. There is something productive about activity theory, but also rewarding. This makes sense to me. The activity of playing baseball is based on the motivational object of competition (or recreation) and I perform the activity based on operations such as fundamentals which have become second nature to me, as well as conscious actions such as where to position myself in the field of play. The object of winning serves as motivation, but there is also enjoyment in the actions and operations- and this is where I really identified with Dewey.
One way Dewey described aesthetic experience is in terms of means-ends relations. The idea is that aesthetic activity is not done simply for the result- as a day laborer might do his day's work for a wage. If the laborer could receive the wage without doing the work, he would almost certainly choose to do so. This is not so with an aesthetic activity- Dewey basically defines these sorts of activities as anything that is done where both the means and the end are satisfying. More simply put, the individual must enjoy (or find value in) the process, or the activity itself- rather than performing an action based simply upon a desired result. This is where sport rings true for me as an aesthetic experience: I even enjoyed practice when I played baseball- the process of getting better was rewarding in itself, not just as the means to an end. Another idea Dewey puts forth with these Means-Ends relations is the idea that the "piece of work" which is aesthetic culminates in consummation, not cessation. An aesthetic activity is performed with the hope for a "satisfying 'consummation'" but the process itself is also valued; whereas a non-aesthetic activity would strive simply for cessation: to do the work unto completion, and be done with it. The reward is in the cessation, rather than the process itself.
The idea of enjoying the process of an activity highlights something that Nardi mentions, but I don't think she stresses it enough: aesthetic experience is a "subjective disposition toward activity." A thing, or an activity, in and of itself is not inherently aesthetic. It is made aesthetic on the subjective basis of the individual's disposition, on personal, social and cultural factors. The same thing is not aesthetic to everyone. In the WoW context, not all players like the means themselves, and would rather simply achieve the "end" of having a high-level character. To bring in another factor Dewey uses in defining aesthetic experience, not all players of WoW enjoy the "phases" that are inherent in the game. The "phase" characteristic of aesthetic experience describes a progression of "differentiated phases" (or levels) that emphasize progress over repetition. This is an aesthetic appeal, and yet not all players of WoW enjoy the "leveling up" process. It is a subjective aesthetic appeal. For the game designers then, creating an aesthetic experience is about including a variety of factors that include a process (means) that is rewarding, a structure of "phases" (levels), and then the final (and perhaps most important) aspect: collective expression.
On collective expression, simply put- Dewey argues that collective expression allows aesthetic activity to connect us to others in community and "common life." One of the things I found most appealing about Dewey's arguments is the way he puts forth a definition of aesthetics that fits into "everyday" or "common" life. He pushes against the modernistic notions of "high art" aesthetics, that are caged in museums or art galleries- rather he argues that aesthetics should be a part of every day life- that we are made "to engage deeply with our surroundings, to meet its challenges responsively, and to move, grow, develop." Nardi says that Dewey wanted to "recover...the continuity of aesthetic experience within normal processes of living," arguing that even those things which we section off today as fine art or artifacts were once actually created as part of the "significant life of an organized community." World of Warcraft, among other things, shows how play can be done in community, and the value of community and collaboration inside of aesthetic experience.
One final element of Dewey's argument that I found interesting was the way he pushed back against modernity. In the first part of this book, Nardi mentions WoW as an "escape from modernism," and it seems like Dewey would fall right in line with this stance. Not that play, or aesthetic experience is or should be a form of escapism; but that play and collaborative aesthetic experience was a return to some fundamental societal needs that are neglected in modern times. Dewey talks specifically about the "inflexibilities of modernity," particularly "convention in practice... rigidity... (and) coerced submission" that were enemies of our need to engage deeply with our surroundings through aesthetic activity. Nardi talks about the evolution of much of human activity, basically being reduced to working for the sake of a wage. This aspect of modern society, above all else, makes it understandable that aesthetics are imprisoned inside of specific venues- the theater, the arena, the museum. In all other arenas, the value of the process and of collaborative experience in particular are only seen in their utility as means to an end- specifically the end of productivity.
It is on this "principle" of productivity that I conclude. Whereas true aesthetic experience should be done with an enjoyment inherent to the process and to the community it fosters, there is little time for these things in modern society. Productivity trumpets all. To me, this is why there is a stigma around certain aesthetic pursuits: when a child plays a video game for enjoyment, sometimes the attitude toward this child sounds something like "go do something with your life!" To an aspiring musician, clinging to the dream of playing a guitar for a living, the response often tends to be "get a real job!" The push back against these aesthetic pursuits screams of a desire for conformity and productivity. Modernity has sterilized "active aesthetic activity" out of those desires. However, when one sees the value of activity- particularly aesthetic activity based on Dewey's work and activity theory- it seems as though the modern pursuit of productivity could use an injection of aesthetics into it. Dewey seemed to believe that, subjectively, any activity could be aesthetic- and I would argue off of this that the modern working man would be much more fulfilled, if not more productive, if he could turn his "work" into an aesthetic pursuit- one where the means are themselves valuable, where progress is enjoyable, and collaboration is promoted- he would be a more well-rounded individual.
Questions:
1- When you "play," whatever it is, why do you enjoy it so much? What is the appeal?
2- Based on Dewey's definition of "aesthetic activity," what are some "aesthetic" pursuits in your own life? Is school one? What about cooking dinner at night? What about drinking Bud Light?
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