Researchers from the universities of London, East London and Sheffield spent two years watching children play and concluded that today's media is informing rather than destroying playground games.
The project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, aimed to develop understanding of children's playground games and songs.
Research at the Monteney Primary School in Sheffield and the Christopher Hatton Primary School in London found that media such as games consoles, pop music and television are enriching children's pretend play, with children adding topical touches to fantasy scenarios by incorporating their favourite characters, reality television stars, pop songs and dance moves into role-play.
Professor Jackie Marsh from the University of Sheffield said, 'Today's children have to manage an increasingly complex world of technology and information and the project has shown how these aspects of their lives are crucially important for their social, emotional and cultural development. The playground provides an important space for children to engage with how their culture is changing in a digital age.'
As part of the project, the University of East London has also developed a 50-minute documentary film, 'Ipi-dipi-dation: My Generation', which features footage highlighting the diversity and complexity of children's play and interviews with children aged from six to 11 about their games.
The study, Children's Playground Games and Songs in the New Media Age, is published on a new British Library website that chronicles the past century of children's games and rhymes.