Good God, I’d forgotten how racist Huizinga was.

Yet, despite his infuriating ethnocentrism, I am fascinated by his idea of ritual and play inhabiting the same space. There is something about that magic circle, with its set rules and its separate-but-real existence that resonates in this space. It’s a strange leveling of the playing field that elevates play without necessarily diminishing the intent behind ritual. And that, I think, is the most interesting thing about Huizinga for me…the idea that play is far from frivolous. Irrational, yes, but not dismissible.

It’s a great argument for learning-through-play…with the small problem that, as Huizinga notes, you can’t be ordered to play. Play is an act of freedom, and playing by demand is only an imitation of the actual act. I suppose this is where classroom gamification (the grievously ineffective kind) comes into play. The mechanics of games and play aren’t enough. There has to be freedom to play, to be serious or not, and to fail without failing, as it were.

You know. Simple stuff.