Je hoort wel vaker de verzuchting dat kinderen door computerspelletjes en Facebook minder spelen. Het is een van de mythes die ook in ons boek sneuvelt. Een nieuw onderzoek door de universiteiten van London, Sheffield en East London, samen met de British Library suggereert dat dit wellicht minder het geval is dan populair gedacht wordt: “Playground culture and children’s games are not overwhelmed, marginalized or threatened by media.”
Enkele quotes:
“Modern children are, then, immersed in an enveloping mediascape, which is impossible for them to ignore. However, our research indicates that playground culture and children’s games are not overwhelmed, marginalised or threatened by the quantity and plurality of available media. We have seen that children make use of the cultural and media resources that surround them, and creatively manipulate them to their own ends. In the playground, children are still singing rhymes and songs that have come down through the decades, whilst sometimes bringing them up to date with references to the latest TV shows, soap opera characters and pop stars. Skipping games and clapping games are still popular, and hula‐hoops have made a come‐back. Cheerleading and other dance routines are in evidence, children citing influences as diverse as Michael Jackson and High School Musical. Make‐believe games and old favorites such as Tig are staples of the primary school playground. Media is an undeniably important aspect of children’s lives, but part of a wider repertoire of playground culture that also includes older games, songs and rhymes.”
Children still play hand-clapping games; they still play singing games; they still play “counting out” games; they still know the rules for “tag” and the like. And according to the researchers, there is “evidence of a rich expansion of pretend play drawing on a wider media landscape.”
Wil dit zeggen dat er geen veranderingen zijn? Zeker, kinderspel verandert constant, deed dit altijd al, zal het altijd blijven doen. Maar er is weinig bewijs te vinden dat technologie en media de kinderen minder doen spelen.