The term ‘Softwar’ was first coined in 1966 by the American social activist Stewart Brand (the originator of the New Games Movement). This was done largely in response to human-made aggression around the world particularly, at the time, the Vietnam War. The idea was based on a recognition that conflict is a natural facet of human life, yet that conflict can and does develop into aggression and war.
As Brand said at the time, “It suggested to me that there was something wrong with our conflict forms here.”
So, as a result of a challenge set by San Francisco State College to explore alternatives to these conflict forms, Brand employed his history of applying playful solutions to problems. The result was a series of games.
“What I wanted [Brand said] was a game which would involve fairly intense physical interaction between players”, but which would also separate the need for conflict becoming aggression.
The resulting games were not just meant to be this alternative but also to generate discussion, possibly by adding a spot of controversy. This can be seen in the first game of its type that Brand presented at an anti-war rally for the San Franciso State College – he called it ‘Slaughter’.*
In this way, Brand introduced, “… the idea that people could design their conflict forms to suit everyone’s needs.” This directly led to the creation of New Games and the New Games Movement, which sought to bring people together to play together, to form playful experiences together, and provide an opportunity to discuss and learn from each other.
If this reminds you of another traditional outlet for conflict and combat, it should. He writes, “If you don’t see much difference between softwar and sports, you’re getting the point.” It should not come as a surprise to learn, therefore, that various formal sporting bodies around the world in the 1960s and 70s began incorporating elements of softwar into their tournaments in an effort to reduce levels of on-pitch aggression.
There are also parallels here with (the largely adult form) Softwar and forms of (largely child-based) Rough & Tumble play in which individuals engage in playful conflict even though it is sometimes wrongly perceived as being aggression and violence from those outside the game.
Both forms of play can result in ‘injury’ and even ‘death’, but while being played in the context of softwar there is a recognition by those playing that this is ‘not real’ and far from being violent it is actually rule-based, enjoyable and bonding.
* one of Brand’s other games designed to highlight a different issue of the day for discussion was called, ‘Clench a Wench’. Can you guess what that was about?
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Photo: Stuart Brand photographed in 2010.
Notes: all Stuart Brand quotations from either the ‘New Games Book’ (1976) and ‘More New Games’ (1981) both published by the New Games Foundation.
See also Stuart Brand, New Games/New Games Movement, Rough & Tumble Play, and Game (to come)
