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Bernard Suits

philosopher · 8 mentions across 1 reading

In this course

Bernard Suits is a philosopher of games best known for defining games as the voluntary adoption of unnecessary obstacles to achieve stipulated goals—a framework that separates play from mere efficient action. The course readings use Suits's theory to explore how games create temporary agencies and alternative ends, showing how the formal constraints of games (whether marathons or rule-bound competitions) reveal something crucial about how humans negotiate between purpose and constraint. His work appears both as a foundational concept and as a productive target for critique, with readings noting limitations in his account while still leveraging his insight that games involve a peculiar suspension of normal efficiency.

Mentioned in 1 reading

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Pandaemonium Architecture 6.0 — ATEK-639/439 — Fall 2026 · QR code