The church criticized such hijinks and by the sixteenth century had totally stamped out this fool's paradise of carnival, joy, cheer, license, and breaking of boundaries. Both continental and English puritanism sought to suppress games, gambling, and other forms of amusement for the common people. However, ingenuity combined with love of the game had some intriguing results. Many current day English soccer clubs are the product of church organizations. Games are competitive forms of play.
Games have rules which are institutional, public, and systematic.
Play and games are about boundaries. Alternate realities, virtual realities, and even religious realities can be expressed in both games and play. Nevertheless, the human capacity to imagine and create alternate realities in play and games appears to be unending. There does seem to be social and psychological truth to games and play. Enjoy the game.