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A jam submission

UtopicsView project page

Notes toward a theory of play
Submitted by Eric Stein (@steinea) — 83 days, 20 hours before the deadline
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Utopics's itch.io page

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Comments

Submitted(+1)

This is great but some inclusion of eastern ludology would help round it out.

Thirty spokes meet in the hub. Where the wheel isn’t is where it’s useful.

Hollowed out, clay makes a pot. Where the pot’s not is where it’s useful.

Cut doors and windows to make a room. Where the room isn’t, there’s room for you.

So the profit in what is is in the use of what isn’t.


The whole divides to see the shape.

Developer

This is fantastic, thank you for commenting! My education was sadly very western, so those are the sources I know, but this is such a concise, poetic encapsulation of everything I was trying to say. Thanks for pointing me in the direction of Lao Tzu! Is this your translation, or from a published translation? I've looked around but haven't been able to find this exact rendition. If it's yours, I'd love to include it at as part 5 in a v1.1 of the zine and credit you!

Submitted

Ursula K. Le Guin ;)

Developer

Oh it's Le Guin's version!! Of course!! Thanks so much for the reference :)