The Sustainable Playable City: Making Way for the Playful Citizen

Abstract

Using a case study of two designated child-friendly public spaces in Jakarta, this chapter draws on affordance theory to explore how low-tech traditional Indonesian games are intended and actualised as play experiences for children from low-income families. The research used drawing activities, group interviews and observations with thirty-four children aged 6–12 years old, as well as interviews with the onsite managers of the child-friendly public parks with community centres (known as RPTRA sites) and a coordinator of the local youth organisation called Traditional Games Returns (TGR). The TGR organisation encourages Indonesian children to ‘forget their gadgets’, and instead play traditional Indonesian games out- side. This chapter discusses: (1) the application of social affordances in a non-virtual game; (2) the actual social interactions of the children playing the traditional games; and (3) suggestions for how children’s play opportunities can be better facilitated in a low-tech context. Keywords