PLAY IN THE CITY

01. REFLECTION
THEORISING PLAY
WEEK 3: 30.01.18
In his seminal text Homo Ludens, Johan Huizinga presents his
observations on the thresholds of play. Play, he argues, is limited in
its dimensions of time but also space. Before play can commence, its
spatial territory – either physical or imagined – must be set out and
agreed on by all players. 3 Further to this, he posits that the conduct of
play, within this pocket of space and time, is tied together with a set of
‘special rules’;
Inside the play-ground an absolute and peculiar order reigns. Here
we come across another, very positive feature of play: it creates
order, is order. Into an imperfect world and into the confusion of
life it brings a temporary, a limited perfection. Play demands order
absolute and supreme. The least deviation from it ‘spoils the game’,
robs it of its character and makes it worthless. 4
This creation of rules can be, and often is, seen as a key element of
the play itself; the game evolves as it is played out. For Huizinga, the
keeping of order within the agreed window of play, in space and time,
is intrinsic to its value. When any boundary of the play is overstepped,
or the rules not adhered to, the play loses its worth; when the play’s
boundary is broken, its magic dissolves, and the fun is made un-fun.
This play order, within a framed space and time, is often referred to as
Huizinga’s ‘magic circle’ 5 .
Let us consider the thresholds of this ‘magic circle’ as a soap bubble.
Inside the bubble exists an un-replicable condition in space, time and
order. Like a bubble, the thresholds of play are almost imperceptible.
The boundaries exist as, at any one time, one is either within or out
with a perimeter of play. If, by any internal or external forces, the
bubble’s wall is breached, so then the bubble bursts. Although everyone
_
3. Johan Huizinga, “Nature and Significance of Play as a Cultural Phenomenon”, in Homo Ludens:
A Study of the Play-Element in Culture. (Beacon Press, Boston, 1971), p. 10.
4. Huizinga, “Nature and Significance of Play”, p. 10.
5. “Theorising Play”, Discussion from Seminar, led by Dr. Hanna Cannon (Edinburgh, 30.01.2018).
5