IAT 210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Johan Huizinga, Homo Ludens, Roger Caillois
26 May 2018
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IAT 210 - Lecture 2 - Brief History of Games
Games - Some Concepts
● Scholars
○ Roger Caillois - Man, Play and Games
○ Johann Huizinga - Homo Ludens (“Man the Player)
Game Definitions
● “A game is a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules,
that results in a quantifiable outcome”
Entering the Magic Circle
● Something genuinely magical happening when game begins
● New reality created
● Magic circle - space in which normal rules & reality of world are suspended & replaced
by artificial reality of game world
● In basic sense, is where game takes place
○ To play a game means entering into magic circle
● Term coined by Dutch historian Johann Huizinga
○ Wrote in Homo Ludens
■ Magic circle of game is space within which game takes place
■ Idea of special place in time & space created by game
■ Space is enclosed & separate from real world
■ Magic circle created when player is engaged in act of playing & vanishes
when player stops playing
● Boundary of game space & within this boundary, rules of game play out
Once Inside Circle
● You are out of everyday routine
● You are immersed in game
● You are experiencing fancy world w/ its own rules
● Cheating is bad, breaking circle, even worse
● Game ends when circle is broken
Players Describing Magic Circle
● Backgammon
○ “When I start playing Backgammon, I am forced to move in the game’s
designated rules in order to score a point and compete with other player, which is
the goal of the game and the boundary between real life and the game. The dice
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decides who can move and where I can move. This is one of the rules that
govern Backgammon and draw a line between the flexible moves in reality and
the designated moves in the game”
The Lusory Attitude
● State of mind required to enter into the play of a game
● To play game, group of players accepts limitations of the rules b/c of the pleasure a
game can afford
● Players agree to be in magic circle - lusory attitude - so play can occur
● Playing game requires certain attitude
○ Willingness to adopt rules
○ Willingness to cooperate in keeping fun
● Without the attitude
○ Play breaks down “spoilsport”
Modes of Play
● Proposed by Caillois
● Agon, Alea, Ilinx, Mimicry
● Agon - conflict
● Alea - chance or randomness
● Ilinx - disorientation, vertigo
● Mimicry - simulation, role-play, fantasy
○ E.g. RPG
Agon
● Goal - to eliminate other player
Alea
● Chance
● Randomness
○ Casino games
○ Poker
○ Rock, paper, scissors
Mimicry
● Simulation
● Role-playing
Ilinx
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Iat 210 - lecture 2 - brief history of games. Roger caillois - man, play and games. Johann huizinga - homo ludens ( man the player) A game is a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome . Something genuinely magical happening when game begins. Magic circle - space in which normal rules & reality of world are suspended & replaced by artificial reality of game world. In basic sense, is where game takes place. To play a game means entering into magic circle. Term coined by dutch historian johann huizinga. Idea of special place in time & space created by game. Magic circle of game is space within which game takes place. Space is enclosed & separate from real world. Magic circle created when player is engaged in act of playing & vanishes.
