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violence and trickery; Alea is seen as a cultural form in lotteries and casinos, as an institutional form in the stock market and as a corruption in superstition and astrology; mimicry is seen as cultural form in carnivals and theatre, as institutional form in uniforms and ceremonies and as corruption in forms of alienation; and ilinx is seen as cultural form in climbing and skiing, as institutional form in professionals requiring control of vertigo and as corruption in drugs and alcoholism.
397:(1997) review of play the idea that individuals in a leisure-based Western culture are 'free' to play is questioned in light of an apparent obligation to spend leisure time 'wisely'. Similarly, we might consider that play forms are subject to considerable social pressures and we might note the economic significance of leisure and media as forms of play. The result is that despite Caillois' attempt at a thorough review, definitions of play remain open to negotiation.
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350:, unstructured and spontaneous activities (playfulness), although in human affairs the tendency is always to turn paidia into ludus, and that established rules are also subject to the pressures of paidia. It is this process of rule-forming and re-forming that may be used to account for the apparent instability of cultures.
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is an almost purely agonistic game. In this form of play, the players have equal chances but the winner succeeds because of "a single quality (speed, endurance, strength, memory, skill, ingenuity, etc.), exercised, within defined limits and without outside assistance." Agon prioritizes skill, work,
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Like
Huizinga, Caillois sees a tendency for a corruption of the values of play in modern society as well as for play to be institutionalised in the structures of society. For example, agon is seen as a cultural form in sports, in an institutional form as economic competition and as a corruption in
256:(Greek for "whirlpool"), which Caillois describes as "voluptuous panic" in the sense of altering perception by experiencing a strong emotion (panic, fear, ecstasy) the stronger the emotion is, the stronger the sense of excitement and fun becomes. E.g.
172:, adding a more comprehensive review of play forms. Caillois disputes Huizinga's emphasis on competition in play. He also notes the considerable difficulty in defining play, concluding that play is best described by six core characteristics:
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Caillois focuses on the last two characteristics, rules and make-believe. According to
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or, in
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240:, or chance.In contrast to agon, games of alea depend on chance and fortune. Alea negates skill and highlights "a surrender to destiny".
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are incompatible, as there are no structured rules in the state of disorientation; any rules applied are solely to put a brake on the
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Guo, Li (2024). "The
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It involves make-believe that confirms for players the existence of imagined realities that may be set against 'real life'.
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Guo, Jie (2024). "Games in Late Ming and Early Qing Erotic
Literature". In Guo, Li; Eyman, Douglas; Sun, Hongmei (eds.).
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Caillois argues that we can understand the complexity of games by referring to four play forms and two types of play (
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It is uncertain, so that the results of play cannot be pre-determined and so that the player's initiative is involved.
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cannot coexist, as games of chance are inherently games of restraint and waiting for an external event. Likewise,
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It is governed by rules that suspend ordinary laws and behaviours and that must be followed by players.
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It is unproductive in that it creates no wealth and ends as it begins.
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Betting on Macau: Casino
Capitalism and China's Consumer Revolution
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Games and play combine these elements in various ways. Examples:
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This 'escapist' definition has been criticized, for example in
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Caillois also places forms of play on a continuum from
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Games & Play in
Chinese & Sinophone Cultures
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Games & Play in
Chinese & Sinophone Cultures
482:. Globalization and Community series. Minneapolis:
48:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
168:Caillois builds critically on the theories of
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108:Learn how and when to remove this message
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312:activity, which can be combined with
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316:to portray characters, or with
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452:University of Washington Press
416:University of Washington Press
353:Caillois also emphasizes that
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176:It is free, or not obligatory.
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484:University of Minnesota Press
323:Spectator sports combine the
147:, 1958) on the sociology of
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537:French non-fiction books
232:and professionalization.
547:Books about game theory
227:, or competition. E.g.
532:1958 non-fiction books
288:Collectible card games
144:Les jeux et les hommes
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478:Simpson, Tim (2023).
320:in competitive dance.
57:"Man, Play and Games"
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512:Man, Play and Games
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552:Books about games
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40:Please help
35:verification
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526:Categories
164:Definition
131:0029052009
68:newspapers
336:Structure
290:combine
265:Examples
329:mimesis
314:mimesis
306:Dancing
300:mimesis
245:Mimicry
159:Summary
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348:paidia
308:is an
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381:Notes
371:ilinx
367:ilinx
363:ludus
343:ludus
310:ilinx
274:Poker
253:Ilinx
229:Chess
211:ludus
153:games
89:JSTOR
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420:ISBN
365:and
359:alea
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318:agon
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282:agon
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237:Alea
224:Agon
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61:news
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