Activity of Play
In 1932 Dutch historian Johan Huizinga, authored the text Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture, which in he explored the idea that play was an essential aspect of our lives not a serious activity.
Huizinga, argued that the term "Homo Sapiens" used to describe the human species was inaccurate. Homo Spaines comes from the Latin word human and wise, translating to wise human. Huizinga pointed out that we humans are not as wise as we think, and instead much of wisdom comes from simply playing around. Therefore, he proposed the alternative term of Homo Ludens, which translate to "playful human".
The following quote "The only Difference Between Screwing Around and Science is Writing it Down" was made popular by TV personality and maker, Adam Savage.
If we think of the term "screwing around" as another word for "playing" we make a comparison back to Huizinga's initial theory.
Play and Pretend
While we discussed the idea of playing, what exactly is play?
Play can be defined as taking part in an enjoyable activity for the sake of amusement. Simply playing around is not the same as playing a game unless the requirements for a game exist, which are goals, rules, and outcomes.
Another aspect of play is to pretend. To pretend is to create a fictional reality in the mind. A certain amount of buy-in by the participants i.e. players in this fictional reality is required to adhere to the rules of the game.
Take the game of soccer, for example, one of the main rules is that all players, save for the goalie, are not allowed to pick up the ball with their hands. In reality, anyone who is physically capable would be able to pick up the ball with their hands, but in this fictional reality, this act is forbidden.
This factional reality that players buy into the rules of the game, is called the Magic Circle. The term magic circle was first cited by Dutch historian Johan Huizinga, in his 1938 book Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture. This is one of the most noteworthy texts in-game psychology as it discusses the importance of play in culture and society.
One way to ensure players buy into the fictional reality of the game is to further immersive them through storytelling and graphics. Therefore, video games can appear somewhat more addictive than physical games, because it is so easy to get caught up in the fictional world of the game..
Why Do We Play Games
While we have explored the concept of play, let us take a closer look at why we as humans play games.
Play: Mancala
📝Critical Thinking | 🕒15 minutes | 📂Required File: none
This activity provides students with context of games in human history.
Discussion
As a group when do you think this game was developed? Are there modern games that are similar to this one? Is this game still fun?
In the following video Michael Stevens educator and host of Vsauce, a YouTube channel focusing on science, psychology, mathematics, philosophy and related pop culture topics, shares some insight as to why do humans play games.