Post 1

When I signed up for this class, I was confused as to how a class could be centered around games and play. And after the first day meeting I was worried we would be mostly talking about videogaming and board games. After starting on the first article I realized that there was an entire background…

Reality and Games

Are games really separate from reality, are they purely a fantasy? All four readings seem to suggest this, and even go so far as to make this distinction between reality and games essential to the definitions of “game” and “play”. “Real play comes to an end when its players report back to the real world” (The Art…

Reading Response Numero Uno

After reading this week’s articles, I realized just how much the concept of “play” is overlooked in our daily lives. Before switching back into history, I was a psychology major. To separate the psychological and scientific concepts of play from the more abstract and contextual ideas of it as seen in a more historical manner…

On the Cusp of Being a Game

Out of all the articles, the one that stuck me most was actually Juul’s The Game, the Player, the World. It offered a distinct and specific method to quantify games, but more interestingly it also acted as a framework with which to remove the game label from various entities. The Sims is used as the…

Response

I thought the readings were eye-opening, fascinating, and yet complex. I always thought games and play was something that did not need a thought process. However, after reading these articles I realize that I am wrong. I enjoyed the Miguel Sicart piece, Play Matters, because I love his honesty about play, games, and sports. I love how…

Reading Response I

I found Huzinga’s reading particularly frustrating when considering my own philosophical perspective on games. I disagree with how he characterizes games as irrational, and strictly a social construction. When I think of games, and how they function in the daily lives of people, I consider the work of neuroscientists like David J. Linden. Linden has…

Introduction: Casey

Hi there! My name is Casey. I am a senior in International Relations with a Minor in History. I am passionate about human rights and my primary area of study is in the cause and effects of genocide and human rights violations, and cold war conflict. I am really excited to learn about the history…

The Definition of Games and Play

Even between all four pieces we read, I don’t really feel like there is a whole lot to be gained from defining the term ‘play’. While it is obviously a significant cultural factor, I feel that the definition has to be exceptionally broad to be of any use while still relating to how people actually…

On Huizinga

Oh You, I thought while reading Huizinga’s Homo Ludens. You’re almost there. Almost.

About Me

Hello everyone! My name is Chantal, I am a super senior and pursuing a degree in History with a minor in psychology. My husband is the gamer of my relationship, and I avoid it like the plague.  Having said this, strategy board games are a favorite past time.  The more complicated the better!  Zombicide is…