LudoScience

Sous couleur de jouer : La métaphore ludique (Book reference)

A thoughtful philosophical essay about play, in the broadest sense. Among others idea, the authors state his famous idea that "play is a matter of will", i.e. that nobody can play if he/she don't want to. 

Keywords : philosophy

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Homo Ludens (Book reference)

The book that founded (1938) the study of games in the humanities. The author states that games is an essential part of human culture, so he explores the role of game in societies. The concept of "magic circle", nowadays popular among researchers and game designers, comes from this book. Alongside with "Man, Play and Games", this is a book that any researcher working on games should read...This dutch-written book was first translated into English in 1949, and this translation [...]

Keywords : anthropology, sociology, definition

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Les jeux et les hommes (Book reference)

Answering the theories laid down by the pioneering book "Homo Ludens", Roger Caillois, an anthropologist, writes down a wonderful essay about play and game as a human activity. His work about the classification of games and their definition are part of the "founding books" that any researcher should have read...This french-written book was first translated into English in 1961 under the title "Man, Play and Games." 

Keywords : anthropology, sociology, definition, classification

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The Art of Computer Game Design (Book reference)

One of the first (if not the first) book dedicated to the design process of video games, written by the famous American game designer Chris Crawford. Despite its age, the content of this book is still very interesting and applicable today, which show how thoughtful its author was about the creative process of games. The book gives some very practical game design tips (elements of a game, balance, list of steps of the game design process, etc.) and some other general tips (how to educate yourself [...]

Keywords : game design, tips, creation, first book

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Jeu et réalité, l'espace potentiel (Book reference)

A psychological essay written by the famous  pediatrician and psychoanalyst Donal Winicott who, starting from his theoretical concept of "transitional objects" analyses the topic of play and games. French translation of an English-written book titled "Playing and Reality" first published in 1971.  

Keywords : psychology

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