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

<div>This thesis draws on a ten-year research-practice nexus, to contribute to the</div><div>emerging field of playful learning. It suggests alternative approaches to the use</div><div>of play and games in learning, contrasting with the problematic concepts of</div><div>serious games and gamification. Within the thesis playful learning is shown to</div><div>successfully blend learning design and playful design, promoting an</div><div>experience of playfulness that is engaging for the learner, authentic to the</div><div>discipline, and embedded within adult education contexts. Playful learning is</div><div>shown to blur the edges between seriousness/fun, learning/playing,</div><div>researching/teaching, and education/real-world; and offers ways to negotiate</div><div>these spaces meaningfully and practically.</div>