ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book articulates how the ideological underpinnings of institutionally structured ludic experiences may affect the player performers who engage in them. There is no scholarly consensus on the nature of play. While these chapters reference the theories outlined in this introduction, some contributors employ discordant theoretical frameworks, as is often the case with scholarly literature concerning play. Still, had to develop a basic framework for describing the types of phenomena explore in this book. Many theorists, particularly those from the fields of psychology and education, postulate play is not distinct from real life but is rather an imitation of and opportunity to learn about it. This section briefly introduces methodological and theoretical terminology used throughout the following chapters. The researchers in this volume generally employ qualitative methods to explore play phenomena, the institutions that structure play, and players themselves.
