The lay terms definition of play adopted by the children's play council says:

Increasingly, in our modern society, play is becoming something that takes place in an organised way - play is provided for in large purpose built play areas which have almost become family entertainment centres with boundary fencing, separate areas for younger and older children, seats for supervising adults, opportunity to explore equipment provided and to take minimal risks. The concept of play as simply an everyday activity that just happens wherever children might be at the time seems to be given less relevance.

It is recognised that there are less opportunities for our modern children simply to go out to play without requiring adult intervention. Gap sites, where children might have been able just to go close to home for a muck about, or to kick a ball around, or to play games like hide and seek, are being developed. Private gardens are being filled with decking and architectural plants. Shared areas, at the backs of tenements for example, have to accommodate bin stores, and often parking. Fears for children's safety often result in restrictions on where they can go to play. The accessibility of indoor activities such as play stations and computer games is encouraging children to stay indoors to play.
The dangers associated with these influencing factors on play are many-fold, and not the focus of this publication. Those interested in further reading should look at relevant references.

Some initiatives are working to combat these factors, which affect play in a negative way. The Homezones initiative seeks to provide safe local street play, which gives priority to children and other pedestrians over cars. Active play is being encouraged through health initiatives, such as Have a Heart Paisley, who have a project which involves parents being trained to help teach children active games during school playtimes. The National Training Organisation for Sport, Recreation and Allied Occupations promote training and nationally recognised qualifications for play workers and are raising the profile of play work. Some of the most important initiatives are those organised by local communities to save small local spaces and landmarks (as illustrated by a number of the case studies).