Dear Skholars,

This week we shall consider the function of play in the human condition. On Monday we will focus on a short excerpt from a book by a Dutch cultural historian and anthropologist, Johann Huizinga, who argued that culture is born from an inherent desire and drive for play. His definition of the criteria for play can be found on p. 107. Make sure you are familiar with these seven categories. Choose one to explain and offer an example of your own. Finally, consider whether this criteria may also be held for activities we describe as “fun.”

Week 13: Homo Ludens: Playfulness and the Gamification of Life

T 11/19: Johan Huizinga (Dutch cultural historian, 1872-1945), “Nature and Significance of Play as Cultural Phenomenon,” from Homo ludens (1938) in The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology, ed. Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman (MIT Press 2016): 96-120.

*350 word response*