Homo Ludens

Author: Johan Huizinga
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 9780807046814
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Book Description
An essential reference for all game designers, this 1938 classic is “a fascinating account of ‘man the player’ and the contribution of play to civilization” (Harper’s). In this classic evaluation of play that has become a “must-read” for those in game design, Dutch philosopher Johan Huizinga defines play as the central activity in flourishing societies. Like civilization, play requires structure and participants willing to create within limits. Starting with Plato, Huizinga traces the contribution of Homo Ludens, or “man the player” through Medieval Times, the Renaissance, and into our modern civilization. Huizinga defines play against a rich theoretical background, using cross-cultural examples from the humanities, business, and politics. Homo Ludens defines play for generations to come.

Homo Ludens

Author: Johan Huizinga
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 9780415175944
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Book Description
First Published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Contemporary Homo Ludens

Author: Halina Mielicka-Pawłowska
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781443896986
Category : Civilization
Languages : en
Pages : 373

Book Description
"Play allows the fulfilment of one's dreams, yet also teaches subjugation to the norms governing daily life. Furthermore, traditional forms of play, transmitted from one generation to another, guarantee a culture's continuance and perpetuation in time. Contemporary forms of play integrate a populace, creating a specific community of laughter which places a high value on individuality and the ability to lead social games. Play invalidates social divisions, but also diversifies behaviours through the introduction of changes in the rules, depending on the age of those engaged. Furthermore, it adapts to the forms by which social reality is created, as well as that reality's goals, which, in turn, impart sense and meaning to something which, of its own nature, seems deprived thereof."

Man, Play, and Games

Author: Roger Caillois
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
ISBN: 9780252070334
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 228

Book Description
According to Roger Caillois, play is an occasion of pure waste. In spite of this - or because of it - play constitutes an essential element of human social and spiritual development. In this study, the author defines play as a free and voluntary activity that occurs in a pure space, isolated and protected from the rest of life.

Playful Identities

Author: Michiel de Lange
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789089646392
Category : Computer games
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
In this publication, eighteen scholars examine the increasing role of digital media technologies in identity construction through play. This interdisciplinary collection argues that present-day play and games are not only appropriate metaphors for capturing postmodern human identities, but are in fact the means by which people create their identity.

The Philosophy of Play

Author: Emily Ryall
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136269916
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 218

Book Description
Play is a vital component of the social life and well-being of both children and adults. This book examines the concept of play and considers a variety of the related philosophical issues. It also includes meta-analyses from a range of philosophers and theorists, as well as an exploration of some key applied ethical considerations. The main objective of The Philosophy of Play is to provide a richer understanding of the concept and nature of play and its relation to human life and values, and to build disciplinary and paradigmatic bridges between scholars of philosophy and scholars of play. Including specific chapters dedicated to children and play, and exploring the work of key thinkers such as Plato, Sartre, Wittgenstein, Gadamer, Deleuze and Nietzsche, this book is invaluable reading for any advanced student, researcher or practitioner with an interest in education, playwork, leisure studies, applied ethics or the philosophy of sport.

Men and Ideas

Author: Johan Huizinga
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400858089
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 380

Book Description
This collection by the distinguished Dutch historian Johan Huizinga (1872-1945) reflects the theme of its key essay, The Task of Cultural History," throughout its pages. Huizinga's conception of cultural history informs both his essays on historiographic questions and those on such figures as John of Salisbury, Abelard, Joan of Arc, Erasmus, and Grotius. Originally published in 1984. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The Gameful World

Author: Steffen P. Walz
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 026202800X
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 687

Book Description
What if every part of our everyday life was turned into a game? The implications of “gamification.” What if our whole life were turned into a game? What sounds like the premise of a science fiction novel is today becoming reality as “gamification.” As more and more organizations, practices, products, and services are infused with elements from games and play to make them more engaging, we are witnessing a veritable ludification of culture. Yet while some celebrate gamification as a possible answer to mankind's toughest challenges and others condemn it as a marketing ruse, the question remains: what are the ramifications of this “gameful world”? Can game design energize society and individuals, or will algorithmic incentive systems become our new robot overlords? In this book, more than fifty luminaries from academia and industry examine the key challenges of gamification and the ludification of culture—including Ian Bogost, John M. Carroll, Bernie DeKoven, Bill Gaver, Jane McGonigal, Frank Lantz, Jesse Schell, Kevin Slavin, McKenzie Wark, and Eric Zimmerman. They outline major disciplinary approaches, including rhetorics, economics, psychology, and aesthetics; tackle issues like exploitation or privacy; and survey main application domains such as health, education, design, sustainability, or social media.

The Grasshopper

Author: Bernard Suits
Publisher: Broadview Press
ISBN: 1460401905
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 190

Book Description
In the mid twentieth century the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein famously asserted that games are indefinable; there are no common threads that link them all. "Nonsense," says the sensible Bernard Suits: "playing a game is a voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles." The short book Suits wrote demonstrating precisely that is as playful as it is insightful, as stimulating as it is delightful. Suits not only argues that games can be meaningfully defined; he also suggests that playing games is a central part of the ideal of human existence, so games belong at the heart of any vision of Utopia. Originally published in 1978, The Grasshopper is now re-issued with a new introduction by Thomas Hurka and with additional material (much of it previously unpublished) by the author, in which he expands on the ideas put forward in The Grasshopper and answers some questions that have been raised by critics.

Wonderland

Author: Steven Johnson
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1509837299
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 326

Book Description
"Everyone knows the old saying "necessity is the mother of invention," but if you do a paternity test on many of the modern world's most important ideas or institutions, you will find, invariably, that leisure and play were involved in the conception as well." Most history books don't concern themselves with delight. History is the serious business of war, treaties, governments and monarchs. This is a different kind of history book. Steven Johnson argues that if you want to understand how we got to now, you have to understand pleasure and play. A staggering amount of the landscape of modern life is populated by environments and technology designed to entertain and delight us. Here history of popular entertainment, arguing that the pursuit of novelty and wonder is a powerful driver of world-shaping technological change. Throughout history, he locates the cutting edge of innovation wherever people are working the hardest to keep themselves and others amused.He introduces us to the colorful innovators of leisure: the explorers, proprietors, showmen, and artists who changed the trajectory of history with their luxurious wares, exotic meals, taverns, gambling tables, and magic shows.