Learning at the Edge of the Magic Circle: A Case for Playful Learning

This thesis draws on a ten-year research-practice nexus, to contribute to the

emerging field of playful learning. It suggests alternative approaches to the use

of play and games in learning, contrasting with the problematic concepts of

serious games and gamification. Within the thesis playful learning is shown to

successfully blend learning design and playful design, promoting an

experience of playfulness that is engaging for the learner, authentic to the

discipline, and embedded within adult education contexts. Playful learning is

shown to blur the edges between seriousness/fun, learning/playing,

researching/teaching, and education/real-world; and offers ways to negotiate

these spaces meaningfully and practically.