Homo Ludens
A Study of the Play Element in Culture
Recommended by Tom Chatfield, and 1 others. See all reviewsRanked #16 in Game Design, Ranked #17 in Game Development — see more rankings.
In Homo Ludens, the classic evaluation of play that has become a "must-read" for those in game design, Dutch philosopher Johan Huizinga defines play as the central activity in flourishing societies. Like civilization, play requires structure and participants willing to create within limits. Starting with Plato, Huizinga traces the contribution of Homo Ludens, or "Man the player" through Medieval Times, the Renaissance, and into our modern civilization. Huizinga defines play against a rich theoretical background, using cross-cultural examples from the humanities, business, and... more
Reviews and Recommendations
We've comprehensively compiled reviews of Homo Ludens from the world's leading experts.
Tom Chatfield It’s a book about the way that play precedes culture, and is a distinct and very complicated human phenomenon, which the author sees as giving rise to much that we think of as civilisation… (Source)
Rankings by Category
Homo Ludens is ranked in the following categories:
- #35 in Game Theory
- #31 in Games
- #31 in Gaming
Similar Books
If you like Homo Ludens, check out these similar top-rated books:
