To play or not to play is no longer the question. Kick-started by the rise of computer games, play is becoming a dominant cultural paradigm. Play is not just for children, nowadays generations are all playing together. The more digitalised the world, the greater the craving for the human aspect of everyday life and leisure. Our society is becoming more high-tech on every level, from daily social media communication to virtual worlds.

This has caused a counter reaction from people who long for something more real and more human. We will not abandon all the comforts of the digital age, but still look for experiences that are real. It’s good for people to laugh and fool around more often.

The German publisher Himmelsbach has transformed the classical board game into the coolest fashion fun. Designer shoes are representing each player and 70 question cards and 50 action cards are giving instructions how to move forward and with some luck and fashion knowledge win the catwalk.

A trendy version of the memory game has been created by the Dutch company BIS Publishers who chose street style and street art as cool topics to train your memory.

Also fashion designer Ralph Lauren appreciates playing as part of a beautiful life and is offering a luxury collection of table games such as domino, backgammon, chess, playing cards, etc.

The Dutch historian Johan Huizinga stated already 1938 in his book Homo Ludens that “our culture arises in play, as play.”

LIFE IS A GAME. PLAY IT !