Introducing… Define Play
Define Play is a podcast and YouTube channel exploring playfulness in the lives of everyday people, with each guest offering their own definition of what play means to them. In this introductory episode, co-founders Michael Mirza (host) and Roberto Flores (producer) share their hopes for this project.
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“Play our way into meaning" is an idea coined by Dan Dowman. Check outhis show and his studio, Anthem.
Sources for comment on children receiving toys in the war in Ukraine:
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MM: Hi, I'm Michael Mirza,
RF: I'm Roberto Flores,
MM: …and today we are launching a podcast and YouTube channel called Define Play, with me hosting and Roberto producing.
RF: Yeah… why are we doing this?
MM: Good question! I have found, discovered, rediscovered in the last few years that play and playfulness are core to my personality. They are key to the way I engage the world, they're my favorite ways to connect with people. Play can be a spiritual value, it can be a professional performance enhancer, and it can be a way of finding rest, rejuvenation, and connection with others. I think we all know inherently what play means and yet at the same time playfulness play and playfulness look so different to so many different people. There's so many ways to engage in this thing and that changes in different seasons of life and I'm really curious about that. And not just for the sake of wanting to have fun, but actually to play our way into meaning, to find something deeper here about who we are what it means to be human, with play at the center of it. So I want to get to know other people's definitions of play, and in doing so, begin piecing together or articulating what my own definition of play is. Because right now I don't know if I actually have one yet, and in this process I'm looking forward to learning and seeing how my understanding of play expands or maybe even changes along the way. And I'm curious… why did you agree to do this with me?
RF: Yeah… I think we met to talk about this the first time at that Indian restaurant that was super super good…
MM: Oh, that place is great!
RF: It was this buffet that was amazing and your… I don't know, have you been with people, like with your significant other, with your wife, with my wife, there's just this passion that comes out when they talk about certain things you're just like "Oh we have to do it." That's kind of what happened that day… you were just so passionate and you were so excited and there was a level, and I've known you for years and years, so seeing you so passionate about something, especially knowing your part of your journey and things that you've gone through work-wise and stuff, I was like, “he's ready.” I don't know what this is going to be, right? Neither of us do. We want it to be great and we want it to be fun and we want it to be… but at the same time it's pouring into something that we're both generally passionate about. I mean, you may be at times more passionate than I am, and I may be more passionate than you are at times. I think in the end it's just fun to try to balance each other out. Especially when you said play, I mean I'm going to totally play when I'm editing these!
MM: Yes exactly, and play has been part of how we have connected in the past. Through gaming online, shared passion for video games, and it's a big part of the formation of our childhoods and still something we do as adults as well.
RF: Oh yeah. But I have a question… of all topics you could explore, why play?
MM: I will not pretend that play is the solution to everything. I'm not going to try and say like, “Oh the world will be a better place; we could eradicate hunger and war and poverty if we just all played more.” I don't want to sugarcoat things in such a way, and yet, maybe it's idealistic, I do believe that in leaning into play, and all the all-encompassing things that are included in that, from creativity, to connection, to freedom, to not worrying about what time it is, and exploration, and deep dives, and building things… whatever it can be, all these different ways, sports and you name it. There is something in those realms that to me sharpens or enhances some of the best essences of who we are as humans. So while play itself may not be the direct solution to the injustices of the world and the political mess that we are in in many ways, my hope is that there is a ripple effect here. That we can explore topics that might inspire people to think more creatively in their work and in their relationships in such a way that the lines between work and play blur, or maybe they mutually enhance each other. And I mean work not just in where we go to work but the work of the hard things of life. Working through suffering and pain and disappointment and violence. I'm thinking of, you know, in the Ukraine war there were people waiting on the borders, for people who were crossing into safety, escaping war zones, and children were given toys on the the other side when they had reached the safety of a refugee camp. It might seem like, “Really, this is what we're going to do right now? We're just going to play when all of this is going on?” And to me the answer is yes, because it still helps us be sustainable for the hard work of life. We have to balance work and play, joy and pain, alongside each other. Because if you lean too far in any one of those directions, life gets out of balance. So I think the purpose here is balance. I want to find balance and I want to learn and share joy in a way that can have a positive ripple effect on everything else we do in life. Balance is key… balance is key.
RF: I agree. So when it comes to how we're going to release these and any kind of scheduling for them, what are you thinking?
MM: Each episode is going to be an interview in which I'm talking to someone about where play and playfulness show up in their life, ending with them offering their own definition of play. I know there's a definition of play in the dictionary. I know the National Institute of Play has its own definition. I want to know what each person thinks play means to them because it's uniquely personal and there is room for many of these things to exist at one time. So we're releasing this today and then a week from now is when the first “real” episode will come out. Then after that it will be every two weeks moving forward. So every two weeks there will be a new release on a Tuesday morning on your favorite podcast platform, and on YouTube if you want to see our lovely faces. You'll be able to follow along on social media if you want to see some highlights and clips. Maybe you don't have time to watch the whole conversation; if you want to follow along there too.
RF: Sounds easy enough.
MM: Yeah, hopefully!
RF: Give the people what they want, Michael.
MM: What do you want out of this?
RF: I think I'm learning as I go, right? I have to listen to these episodes probably hundreds of times so I'll probably be, by the end of whatever this looks like, by at least by the end of each episode, I'll probably be the expert on that person's version of play.
MM: You probably will.
RF: But yeah, I mean I just want to have fun, I want it to be fun for everybody. I want to see smiles, right? I want to see a person's true feelings because again for me, balancing work and play feels a little easier because I have the context of video games where after I'm done with a rough day at work I can jump on and play whatever the latest… I just bought Monster Hunter Wilds, so I’m gonna play the heck out of that.
MM: Sounds incredible. Have you played the other ones in the past?
RF: I have not as much as I should have. I have played them but a little bit. I haven't beat them so this one I'm like focusing in and if I love it I'm going to go back.
MM: I love that you're thinking about that. You're looking forward to it.
RF: Oh yeah, it's going to be a blast. I'm so excited.
MM: I'm so grateful for the video expertise, production expertise you bring to this. I'm grateful that you are willing to do this with me and I just feel so grateful for the opportunity and the privilege to do this.
RF: It's going to be fun.
MM: And grateful to everyone who's willing to chat with me along the way. And to all of you who might follow along!
RF: Okay so Michael, and be real with everybody, what do you want them to do right now?
MM: Right now…
RF: When you answer this you should look at them, and talk to them. Tell them what you want to do. And I'll look with you! [both turn toward camera]
MM: Okay, right now… start by asking yourself your own definition of play. Maybe you've never thought about this before, maybe you've thought about it at length. Begin to ask yourself, what does play mean to you? How would you describe it? And I invite you then to, please, follow along again on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe on YouTube. Share this with a friend who you think might be interested in it. And as we release these conversations and have more conversations, and learn as we go, I encourage you, please think about that definition of play that you came up with for yourself and see, do the things that you hear align? Do you agree, do you disagree? I want to know, and let's be in conversation about that. Let's have a playful process as a community as we do this. It means the world to us that you would check us out and support us. So I think that's what I would ask for right now. Does that work?
RF: I think that's great. And they better listen!
MM: Anything else you want to add at this point?
RF: No, I think this is great. This is going to be a fun adventure.
MM: Let's do it!
RF: Here we go!
MM: Here we go, buddy. Hey, let's do this. Thank you, friends. Let's go!
