num_pages: 179
description: In the mid twentieth century the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein famously asserted that games are indefinable; there are no common threads that link them all. "Nonsense," says the sensible Bernard "playing a game is a voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles." The short book Suits wrote demonstrating precisely that is as playful as it is insightful, as stimulating as it is delightful. Suits not only argues that games can be meaningfully defined; he also suggests that playing games is a central part of the ideal of human existence, so games belong at the heart of any vision of Utopia. Originally published in 1978, The Grasshopper is now re-issued with a new introduction by Thomas Hurka and with additional material (much of it previously unpublished) by the author, in which he expands on the ideas put forward in The Grasshopper and answers some questions that have been raised by critics.
language: English
title: The Grasshopper: Games, Life and Utopia
titlecomplete: The Grasshopper: Games, Life and Utopia
genres: Gaming, Philosophy, Utopia, Psychology, Nonfiction, Sports, Game Design, Design, Research, Games
ratings_count: 455
publisher: Broadview Press