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IFLScience We Have Questions: Why Do Humans Play Games?

From hopscotch to Harvest Moon, we really do love games.

Rachael Funnell headshot

Rachael Funnell

Rachael Funnell headshot

Rachael Funnell

Writer & Senior Digital Producer

Rachael is a writer and digital content producer at IFLScience with a Zoology degree from the University of Southampton, UK, and a nose for novelty animal stories.

Writer & Senior Digital Producer

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Episode 6 of IFLScience We Have Questions

Episode 6 of We Have Questions.

Image credit: Milagli/Sensvector/Tartila/Shutterstock.com; modified by IFLScience

Stick two humans in an enclosed space with nothing to do, and before long, someone is likely to suggest a game of I Spy. Kids are so hot for smartphone games that it inspired its own meme format, and while certain generations might like to tell you this compulsion is a new thing – the fact is, humans have been playing games for thousands of years. 

It’s believed that gaming actually predates language, begging the question: why do humans play games? We spoke to Kelly Clancy, a neuroscientist and author of Playing With Reality: How Games Shape Our World, to find out.

You can listen to this episode and subscribe to the podcast on all your favorite podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Amazon Music, and more.


ARTICLE POSTED IN

technologyCulture and Societytechnologypsychology
  • tag
  • psychology,

  • education,

  • humans,

  • games,

  • play,

  • podcast,

  • Learn with IFLS

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