Ideas, Research
& Reporting.
From the Emerging Cultural Sector of Play.
We’re interested in how people meet, connect, socialize, create, experiment, and build new forms of life together.
Our Journal explores the changing landscape of social infrastructure, emerging cultural formats, consent, nightlife, public intimacy, and the future of Play.
The Big Idea
Essays and institutional writing about Life Itself, social infrastructure, and the emerging sector of Play.
Culture & Nightlife
Emerging experiences, new event formats, music, art, participatory culture, and the changing economics of social life.
Guides & Resources
Practical information about Playjacent™ events, play parties, sex parties, BDSM, kink, queer nightlife, ethical non-monogamy (ENM), polyamory, and alternative ways of connecting.
Field Notes
Observations, experiments, and lessons from building Life Itself.
8 stories & guides
The Future of Social Infrastructure: From Events to Fourth Spaces
Why continuity, access and shared expectations matter when imagining a place for more of social life.
Why Traditional Nightlife Is Changing
Life Itself’s perspective on what people ask of a night out, and why operating infrastructure matters alongside programming.
Alternative Nightlife in NYC: New Ways to Meet People
A practical way to compare participatory nights out by the kind of experience you want, rather than by a scene label.
What Makes Playjacent™ Different From a Traditional Sex Party?
Life Itself’s format begins with variety: activities from different scenes brought together within one event.
Queer Nightlife & Play Spaces in NYC
How to distinguish a queer cultural event, its program and any designated spaces for public intimacy.
Ethical Non-Monogamy (ENM) & Polyamory: Exploring Different Ways to Connect
Distinguishing relationship structure, event format and individual consent when meeting new people.