Kritinina A. V. The Protective Function of the Game
(The Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia)
Abstract ♦ The phenomenon of the game, alongside with the issues of the effect it has both on players and spectators, continue to attract the attention of researchers, including scholars of culture. In this article, we have attempted to describe a certain aspect of playing — the protection of inner self against the influence of unpredictable reality outside the game.
The existing classifications of the game’s functions do not assign a special place to the protective function, only tacitly supposing that it is among the most important ones. To prove our thesis, we have analyzed the variants of protection by a game action that have been developed since time immemorial to the present, and used from childhood to maturity. We have also looked at the specific character of the most popular game items, such as dolls and masks, which initially had sacral functions.
In order to measure the potential of protection by game action, the author reviews the game theories by philosopher R. Caillois, psychologist S. Millar, and children's psychoanalyst D.W. Winnicott, who all noted that the game occupies an intermediate place between external reality and the one created by the player’s imagination. Thus all the theorists have reached a consensus that the very game activity indicates the desire to relieve stress and achieve a balanced condition.
Such tendencies of behavior become apparent at an early age, as indicated by various uses of favorite toys or by creating separate game spaces. To be sure, in these cases unconscious reaction is activated. However, with the progress of game experience it becomes possible to also observe conscious strategies of protection by means of the game.
Keywords: game, toy, doll, mask, cultivation, game functions, protective function of game.
Kritinina Alexandra Viktorovna, Postgraduate student, Department of Theory and History of Culture, Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia. Postal address: 26 Malaya Posadskaya St., St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, 197046. Tel.: +7 (812) 232-34-95. E-mail: yodelayhee@yandex.ru. Research advisor: M. S. Uvarov, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor.
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