Jacques Henriot’s conception of “distance”: a virtual space for play

Authors

  • Maude Bonenfant Université du Québec (UQÀM)

DOI:

10.52367/BRJPD.2675-102X.2021.3.3.109-119

Keywords:

mechanical play, distance, virtuality, function, play form, creation, ethics.

Abstract

Jacques Henriot asserts that the game refers to one and the same idea. He believes in a semantic core, a common element, a “unity of the game” among the diversity of games. This “common denominator”, as Caillois puts it, is what makes all types of games playable. This semantic core is, according to our reading of Henriot, the “distance” that defines the function of play, for the idea of play must first be understood in a mechanical way. Play is above all that emptiness which allows us to say that there is play: in the parts of a gear, in the joints, in a hinge, etc. Playing is then considered as a dialectical operation that puts the player at a distance. The form of the game is this distance, this interval that allows the game to exist for a player. The "distance" is thus a key concept to understand Henriot’s conception of the game, but instead of approaching the "distance" from a psychoanalytical point of view, we propose to define this concept starting from the concept of “virtuality” in order to fully grasp the richness of Henriot’s thinking.

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Author Biography

Maude Bonenfant, Université du Québec (UQÀM)

Bacharela em Comunicação pela Université du Québec (Montreal). Doutora em Semiologia pela Université du Québec (Montreal). Possui Pós-Doutorado no Center for Technoculture, Art and Games, da Concordia University (2010-2011). É professora titular do Departamento de Comunicação Social e Pública da Université du Québec (UQÀM). Seus estudos e pesquisas versam sobre as dimensões sociais das tecnologias de comunicação, redes digitais, jogo e suas teorias, comunidades on-line, mundos virtuais e as práticas e apropriações de videogames e ferramentas de comunicação on-line. Ela é coordenadora do Groupe de recherche Homo Ludens sur les pratiques de jeu et la communication dans les mondes numériques, e co-diretora do Groupe de recherché sur l'information et laillance au quotidien (GRISQ).

References

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CAILLOIS R. Les jeux et les hommes: le masque et le vertige [1958]. Paris: Gallimard, 1967.

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GADAMER H-G. Vérité et méthode: les grandes lignes d’une herméneutique philosophique [1960]. Paris: Seuil, Coll. L’ordre philosophique, 1996.

HENRIOT J. Le jeu. Paris: PUF, coll. Sup Initiation philosophique, 1969.

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HOCK-KOON S. La ruse, la triche et la règle dans le jeu vidéo. In: PERRATON, C.; BONENFANT M. (Orgs.). La ruse: Entre la règle et la triche. Québec: Presses de l’Université du Québec, 2011, p. 97-112.

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Published

2021-11-08

How to Cite

BONENFANT, . M. Jacques Henriot’s conception of “distance”: a virtual space for play. Brazilian Journal of Policy and Development, [S. l.], v. 3, n. 3, p. 109–119, 2021. DOI: 10.52367/BRJPD.2675-102X.2021.3.3.109-119. Disponível em: https://bio10publicacao.com.br/brjpd/article/view/387. Acesso em: 23 nov. 2024.