DMDN371

Read this paper during the break:

de-landa-philosophies-of-design-the-case-of-modeling-software.pdf

What is Ludology?

It’s based on the concept “Homo Ludens” = Playing Man and was coined in 1923 by Prof. Johan Huizinga. He investigates the anthropologic research into rules of play where he studies play as social function”. This course focus of ludology is on play as a social function.

Huizinga identifies 7 “chararcteristics” for play:

1. play is a voluntary activity: never a task: play is a social construction, it’s based on manipulation of certain images iow certain imaginations of our real-life. Even though it’s fun: it’s fluid with seriousness. instinct is petitio principii: they do it because they enjoy it.
2. play is not “ordinary” or “real” life: it’s about stepping out into temporary sphere of activity. As such it interludes in daily life: it compliments us.
3. secludedness/limitedness: within limits of time and place. play is distinct from normal life because it has locality and duration that contains its own course and meaning and can be repeated at any time. Repetition is a quality of play. All the play moves within demarcated area: the arena, the level, the stage, the screen, court of justice etc., and all are temporary worlds within ordinary world, dedicated to the performance of an act apart.
4. creates absolute order: play demands order absolute and supreme: the least deviation from it spoils the game. Huizinga says also claims a reason for play is that order is connected to aesthetics: denotations of play comes from aesthetics: tension, poise, balance (equilibrium), variation. it’s “enchanting”, captivating.
5. creates tension: uncertainty, chanciness, striving to end. Player wants something to go, to succeed. This element of tension and solution governs solitary games of skills and application. It tests the player’s prowness: courage, tenacity and his spiritual powers of “fairness”: we must stick to the rules.
6. creates play-community: play community can be permanent even after a game/play. It gives the community a feeling of being apart/together. This sharing refers to “phrataria” eg. clans, supporters etc.
7. creates consciousness about “us”: this is for “us”, not the others. Players step inside magic circle of games. Laws and customs of “ordinary life” don’t exist; eg. great feast of initiation is a temporary suspension of normal social life

In sum Huizinga states that:

Summing up the formal characteristics of play we might call it a free activity standing quite consciously outside “ordinary” life as being “not serious”, but at the same time absorbing the player intensely and utterly. It is an activity connected with no material interest, and no profit can be gained by it. It proceeds within it’s own proper boundaries of time and space according to fixed rules and in an orderly manner. It promotes the formation of social grouping which tend to surround themselves with secrecy and to stress their difference from the common world by disguise or other means.

Huizinga, 1923 p. 13

Find the sheets of lecture 5 here