Homo Ludens
Johan Huizinga • 1955
In Short
A cultural historian puts play at the root of culture and civilization.
In Depth
Who's the author?
Johan Huizinga was a Dutch historian who wrote on cultural history. He wrote well-known works on the Middle Ages and the play element of culture.
What's the intention?
Huizinga sets out to explain how play is a foundational element of culture and in fact has shaped much of how human societies function. He provides a definition of what he considers play and goes on to identify how it has influenced a broad swath of cultural activities including law, war, poetry, art, and philosophy.
Who's it for?
Besides being a reference for students of cultural history, the book is often referenced by game studies and may be interesting to anyone who studies play or game design.
So what?
My exposure to Homo Ludens was through its place in the fields of game studies and game design, and most of what I take away from the book is in Huizinga’s definition of play early in the book. Much of the rest is academic and a little meandering, but I think it’s worth reading to understand the historical reference.
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