Use this link to start annotating:
Critical Play: Reading and Annotations
Read the entire assigned excerpt from Mary Flanagan’s Critical Play and add at least three annotations, each 2–4 sentences long. Highlight a specific passage to comment on, or reply to a classmate’s annotation. Replies count toward your three annotations.
Your annotations can do any of the following:
- Explore something interesting. What caught your attention, and why?
- Question or challenge an idea. What seems wrong, incomplete, or debatable? Explain your reasoning and offer an example.
- Consider a different perspective. How does the reading change how you think about games, play, or art?
- Connect to your experience. Think about a game you’ve played or watched. How do its rules, rewards, or choices encourage certain behaviors or values?
- Build on a classmate’s comment. Add an example, offer another interpretation, or ask a thoughtful follow-up question.
Go beyond “I agree” or “this is interesting”—explain what you mean. You don’t need to be a video game expert: examples from board games, sports, childhood play, and other media are welcome.
Here are instructions for the annotation page: