Co-Founder + CEO, Jason Mayden on The Importance of Play in The Digital Age
The state of play today is unprecedented due to the ever-changing technological, societal and behavioral norms of this generation. Access to diverse narratives, robust tools, and research have empirically proven the power and importance of play. In our lives, we have seen an evolutionary cadance that began with sport-performance, scaled through digital technology or “quantified self,” and a returned to balance and humanness through the practice of mindfulness.
We now have arrived at the final stage of this evolution; an intrinsic desire to return to play.
Today, we have a tremendous opportunity upon us to define tomorrow. We have the chance to define tomorrow’s playscape, today. Everything we can imagine, we can create.
The onus is now on us to manifest our collective innovations ethically, responsibly, intentionally, and with great amounts of integrity and joy. When oneself creates with joy, he/she redefines what it means to be a child in the context of the digital age; thus, unleashing the unbound, fearless potential of the creative youth.
We believe the future of play is limitless. At Super Heroic, we have discovered through deep research and immersive empathy, the reasons why our children are not playing as much today. As one can imagine, the findings are staggering. Parental fear of an ever-changing social dynamic, a strong trending divestment from civic and infrastructural improvement, amplified by a radical decline in communal inclusivity, have all led us to a point where a change must happen. We can no longer idly stand by blaming the technology that we created for robbing our children of the gift of being present and engaged. We can and we will do better. As we learned in our childhoods, there is a beautiful symbiosis between children and the world in which they live. Their eternal gift of counterfactualism, allows them to see the world as an endless pool of opportunity. Creativity, innocence and wonder are the tools they use to navigate the vast landscape of uncertainty that is adolescence with surprise and delight.
They see the world the way that it should be. They see us as one. They fundamentally believe that if we can play together, we can live together.
We believe at Super Heroic that in order to create the ideal world for our children, a world where they are free to discover, develop and evolve into responsible, compassionate contributors, we must invest our time, talent and technology into the collective well-being of ALL children, not just the fortunate few. It comes down to the interactions we have with children, it comes down to the way that we see them — as capable and full of potential. In order for us to truly discover, enhance and catalyze this shift, we first must remove all mental barriers we place on children. Rather than telling them what they can’t be, take a second to dream with them! Take a moment to discover that they’re looking at the world as a canvas and we have to give them the vibrant pigments of love, hope and togetherness. We must arm them with the tools of discovery, inclusivity and compassion, which will allow them to paint a reflection of the world that encompasses the reality in which they desire and deserve to live in.
Simply put, it is incumbent on all decent people to catalyze the minds of our children. To praise discovery over rote memorization, and encourage who they are by amplifying the validity of their emergent interests.
Play is the way towards a better tomorrow and our time to embark upon this journey is now.
Do more, say less, play all day and watch how our children flourish with love, togetherness and grace.
Much Love,
JayMay
