Locally Played (a sticker and brand campaign)

photograph of stickers saying "locally played"

Inspired by the success of locally made goods, we propose “locally played” as a celebration of local outcomes for games, and as a style of play.

Anyone can use this logo to celebrate games that are played to strengthen a local community and sense of place. Or print out your own stickers!

    
(Click to expand or download.)

By calling a game “locally played,” we recognize and elevate a particular spirit of play—including hopes of greater connection to place, our neighbors, and our local history. The phrase can also be a way to celebrate localism and the local adaptation of play to local rules and norms. In this congratulatory mode, the phrase can be similar to how players thank each other for a “well-played game” (see the writings of play guru Bernie De Koven in his 1978 book of the same name).

Feel free to reuse or adapt this symbol (just don’t charge for it — per Creative Commons license Attribution 4.0 International). Please give attribution to The Playful City Lab if possible.

The idea for “locally played” as an open brand and campaign comes from the inspirational final chapter of Prof. Stokes’ book, Locally Played: Real-World Games for Stronger Places and Communities (MIT Press, 2020).