cRam Session: Philosophy of Games

By VCU News staff

cRam Session is a VCU News feature that highlights the breadth of offerings in the VCU Bulletin course catalog and the wide-ranging expertise of the instructors. Associate professor James Fritz, Ph.D., teaches in the Department of Philosophy in the College of Humanities and Sciences. He shares quick insight from his course Philosophy of Games.

Tell us something surprising or truly notable about your course’s subject.

You might be surprised just how hard it is to explain precisely what it is for something to be a game.

For example, one of Merriam-Webster’s definitions for “game” is “activity engaged in for diversion or amusement.” But that can’t be right. When I go see a stand-up comedy show, for instance, I’m engaged in an activity for amusement, but I’m not playing a game.

In fact, it turns out to be so hard to define “game” that some philosophers have given up trying. One of the most famous and influential philosophers of the modern era, Ludwig Wittgenstein, used “game” as his leading example of a term that simply can’t be defined.

Wittgenstein’s approach raises really deep questions. If there’s nothing that unifies the class of games, then what role does my concept of games play in the way I think about the world? Is it possible for me to correctly or incorrectly apply that concept to something? And how many other concepts, if any, work the same way?

This is just one example of a theme that comes up over and over again in my course: When we try to understand games, we’re led very quickly to some important and puzzling questions about mind, world and value. So, while games can be fun, it can also be helpful to take them very seriously.

What is a significant development or trend related to your course’s subject?

In the last few years, philosophers have started talking more and more about “gamification” – that is, the use of features of game design to change how we approach nongame tasks.

Fitbit, for example, gamifies physical health. It gives you simplified targets to reach, tracks your progress and gives you little digital rewards when you meet those targets. This goes beyond fitness. Some dating apps seem to gamify romance; some social media seem to gamify communication; some workplaces seem to gamify productivity.

Philosophers have a lot to say about the ways that gamification can structure your experiences or your relationships. They also have a lot to say about the ways in which gamification can be helpful and harmful. I look forward to talking with my students about just how far we should let game design creep into our lives.

What is your favorite assignment you have students do?

This course is a seminar aimed at upper-level undergraduate students who have taken several philosophy courses already. I set aside class time for my students to meet some of the authors of our course readings and to engage with those authors in professional-level philosophical discussions. I really look forward to those discussions. I know my students will learn a lot from the authors, but I also think it’ll be a chance for my students to show just how far they’ve come as philosophers.