#therulesofthegame

The game is instinct, communication, fantasy, invention. It is also improvisation, exploration, manipulation, “art of the possible”. The game is a decisive component in the formation of the personality of human beings and remains so regardless of age, of existential vicissitudes, of the economic conditions: without the playful dimension, life becomes grey. The game is also a primary carrier in the dynamics of the Net, where creativity is fed by the playful components.

Playing often means breaking the usual patterns. But can we play without rules? In reality, any game has its own rules: in the absence of these, personal and subjective interpretation can lead to misunderstandings and malfunctions that distance the objective and diminish fun.

Can we say that the rules of the game give freedom? Definitely, but, by playing, it is possible to break them because, in this way, each time the limits of the game are perceived, it is possible to redefine them, discover new opportunities and acquire more freedom.

The rules of the game – if right and shared – are the essence of coexistence, the backbone of society, the lintel of democracy. We must expect them and be wary of those who say they are useless. At the same time, the excess of rules produces equally pernicious effects: on the Internet as in the old analogue world. What makes the difference is the balance and the measure, which will allow the digital world not to lose its characteristics of Great Free Game.