Homo ludens

The Dutch philosopher Johan Huizinga puts the game as the core activity of a prosperous society and as the primary formative element in human culture. Like any civilization the game requires a structure and participants, these being willing to create within some limits. Huizinga defines on the homonymous work (1938) the Homo Ludens, or "playing man", beginning with Plato and continuing through history to modern civilization. The author places this classification of the human species at the same level as that of Homo sapiens and Homo Faber since for Huizinga playing is as important as reasoning or manufacturing. However, this classification is not specific to the human being as many animals experience the same creative need and therefore it’s not a cultural activity in itself. The game has five main features: it is free, in fact it is freedom; it does not represent real life; it proceeds with a different duration and a different place than those from ordinary life; it is a type of organization, as it creates an order; and it does not seek material gain.