04 Homo ludens

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04 Homo ludens
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Games and Play? today games and play? the
difference between games and play?
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Games and Play? English to play a game?
French on joue a un jeu? German man
spielt ein Spiel ? Two ways to consider the
relationship (1) play includes games (2)
games include play
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Play Includes GamesExamples of play ?
Manhunt (also a game)? professional football
match (also a game)? kicking a ball round a park
(probably a game)? playing on a kids see-saw (a
game?)? two chimps chasing each other (a
game?)? child singing a nursery rhyme to herself
(a game?) Play is thus broader than game (a
formal kind of play)
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Games as a Subset of Play
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Games Include PlayCharacteristics of
games(from Week 1 remember Wittgenstein) ?
competitive? rule-based? skillful? luck?
playful? etc. Game is broader than play (one
component of games)
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Play as a Subset of Games
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Blurred Boundaries? play and game are
related? they share family resemblances?
characteristics of these concepts overlap? use
depends on context? definition depends on your
perspective? neither is better than the
other ? Any Questions?
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Animal Play? Chimpanzee Diary an example of
animal play
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Theories of Play? Johann Huizinga? Dutch
anthropologist and historian ? Homo Ludens (1938)
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• What is Play For?? play is widespread across
  cultures and species? so what is play for?
• e.g. sight avoid obstacles, find food, etc ?
  e.g. hearing communicate, avoid predators, etc
  ? e.g. aggressive instinct fight off rivals,
  protect young? e.g. social instinct form
  alliances, find mates, etc
• ? so why did play evolve? some theories

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Explanations of Play? to discharge excess
energy ? an outlet for harmful impulses (safety
value)? satisfies a need for relaxation (chill
out) ? restores energy (recharge batteries)?
satisfies an innate imitative instinct (e.g.
fighting)? trains the young (both physically and
mentally)? teaches physical and social restraint
(learn limits) ? to exercise physical and mental
faculties (unused)? indulges a desire to compete
and dominate? to fulfil wishes and desires ?
boosts feelings of personal value
(self-confidence) ? Any Questions?
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Exercise What is Play For?In your
groups (i) Rank the different explanations of
play which Huizinga provides according to
how important they have been for human
evolution and personal development (ii)
think of an example of each from your own
experience (iii) think of any additional
explanations of play.
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Huizinga on Play Homo ludens? play is so
important to humanity that? Homo sapiens Homo
ludens? ludus game or play (hence Ludo) ?
Homo ludens playing man or Man the Player
or Man the Gamer? why does Huizinga think
this?
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Huizinga on Play? Huizinga these theories
all ask the wrong question ? assumption play
is for something else? i.e. play has a function
other than itself? but what is play in itself??
what does it mean for the player?
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Aesthetics of Play? these accounts ignore the
aesthetics of play? two meanings of
aesthetic (1) Ancient Greek perceived by the
senses (scientific) e.g. how do we
experience sight, hearing, taste, etc? (2) 18th
Century artistic taste (artistic) e.g.
what makes a good piece of art, music, TV?
e.g. why do we like certain films, plays, games?
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Aesthetics of Play? mechanistic, biological
accounts ignore? sensory element how we
experience play? taste element why we enjoy
play ? Huizinga So far so good, but what
actually is the fun of playing? Why does the
baby crow with pleasure? Why does the gambler
lose himself in his passion? Why is a huge
crowd roused to frenzy by a football match?
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Aesthetics of Play? to truly understand play
we must look at? the intensity, the absorption,
the fun of play? you cant provide a logical,
mechanistic, biological explanation of fun ?
next week Pleasure, Pain and Play
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Play and Culture? play is a primary category
of life? common to many species and all
cultures/civilizations? play is integral to
culture? play and culture are intimately
interwoven? language, law, war, knowledge,
poetry, art, et al.? for more, see Homo ludens
(in library) ? Any Questions?
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Characteristics of Play? 4 key elements of
play (1) play is voluntary(2) play is outside
ordinary life(3) play has fixed boundaries(4)
play promotes social groups
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(1) Play is Voluntary? you cant force
someone to play? people play because they enjoy
it? must be free not to play? play is
superfluous you never need to play? never a
task or duty? done during leisure time can be
postponed/suspended E.g. Noughts and Crosses
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(2) Play is Outside Ordinary Life (i) play is
an unreal interlude in our lives a temporary,
separate sphere of activity (ii) play is not
serious only pretending/only for fun (iii)
play is absorbing people take play
seriously (iv) play is external to material
interests and biological needs you dont
profit from play E.g. Olympic Games an
interlude, unimportant, taken seriously,
no reward
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(3) Play has Fixed Boundaries (i) boundaries
of time play begins and ends (duration) (ii)
boundaries of space e.g. card table, board,
screen (iii) precise rules and order deviation
from the rules play-world collapses,
e.g. spoil sport E.g. Football 90 minutes in 2
halves, football pitch, strict rules of
play
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(4) Play Promotes Social Groups (i) Social
Groups. Sharing play social bond
friendships, groups, clubs, clans, etc (ii)
Secrecy. Sense of belonging insiders and
outsiders members keep to themselves,
e.g. computer gamers (iii) Disguise. Players
assume a disguise or mask play a part,
become someone else during play E.g. Rugby team
or chess club group identity, clique,
silly names/kit
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Summary Huizinga says that play isa free
activity standing quite consciously outside
ordinary life as being not serious, but at
the same time absorbing the player intensely and
utterly. It is an activity connected with no
material interest, and no profit can be gained by
it. It proceeds within its own proper boundaries
of time and space according to fixed rules and in
an orderly manner. It promotes the formation of
social groupings which tend to surround
themselves with secrecy and to stress their
difference from the common world by disguise or
other means. (p. 13) ? Any Questions?
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• Exercise Applying Play
• In your groups
• choose a digital game you have played, and
  analyse it in terms of Huizingas 4
  characteristics of play ? nominate a
  spokesperson to present your account to the
  rest of the class (2 minutes)
• consider the following questions (1) does
  Huizingas account fit your digital game? (2)
  are Huizingas 4 characteristics elements of a
  definition, or family resemblances?

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The Magic Circle? Huizingas understanding of
play the magic circle? play is an interlude
outside ordinary life with fixed boundaries of
time, space and rules ? magic circle games
special context or frame? can be physical
e.g. pitch, board, screen? can be psychological
e.g. arm wrestling, eye-spy ? playing game
entering the magic circle? you cross a boundary
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The Magic Circle? why magic circle?? an
enchanted zone special rules apply? e.g. Chess
inside and outside magic circle ? magic circle a
safe area? you can fight and kill people
here (safely)
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The Lusory Attitude? the magic circle from
the players perspective? deciding to play a
game choosing to enter the magic circle?
this requires a certain attitude or state of mind
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The Lusory Attitude? games are inefficient?
Huizinga no material benefit? actually a waste
of energy ? E.g. Boxing soft gloves, limited
rounds, etc inefficient ritual, unnecessary
obstacles
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The Lusory Attitude? accepting these
conditions makes game play possible? the players
adopt a lusory attitude (from ludus)? agree
to adopt this route to objective? a contract
between players? adopt arbitrary, inefficient
rules to enjoy the play ? Any Questions?
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The Game (1997)? The Game (1997) illustrates
the magic circle and the lusory attitude ?
dir. David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club)? Michael
Douglas Nicholas Van Orton? self-centred, rich
businessman, has everything
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The Game (1997)? 48th birthday present from
brother (Sean Penn)? prepaid game from Consumer
Recreation Services? life changing
experience? physical and psychological tests?
nature of game unclear? integrated into normal
life? what is game and what is real?
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Film Clip The Game? clip is from early in
the film
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The Magic Circle in The Game? increasingly
confusing? drama disintegration of the magic
circle? no clearly defined boundary or frame?
airport who is part of the game?? enchanted
zone and real world mesh
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Lusory Attitude in The Game? Van Orton unsure
of the boundaries of the magic circle ? cant
adopt a true lusory attitude (safety of circle)?
seems to be both inside and outside the magic
circle? what happens is frightening and
disturbing because of his attitude/understandin
g
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Gaming Journal ? play one or more games?
read background reading, magic circle lusory
attitude? describe magic circle and lusory
attitude ? apply to your own gaming
experience explain how you adopt a lusory
attitude whilst playing your chosen game,
and thus how you enter into the magic circle
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Further Reading ? Games and Play Salen and
Zimmerman (2004, p. 70-83) ? Theories of Play
Huizinga (1970, Ch. 1) Sutton-Smith (2001)
Stephenson (1988) ? Huizinga on Play Huizinga
(1970, Ch. 1) Salen and Zimmerman (2004, pp.
32, 75) Poole (2000, pp. 11-14, 165-66) ? Magic
Circle Lusory Attitude Salen and Zimmerman
(2004, pp. 76-77, 92-99) Huizinga (1970, Ch.
1) Sniderman (1999)