ABSTRACT
Games are primarily dramas insofar as the playing of games consists essentially of performances—intentional acts—of one sort or another. To Roger Federer, "professional tennis player" is obviously his primary identity, while his philanthropic work for African children is his secondary identity. Secondary identities can, however, evoke both strong loyalty and passion, and every time a player enters the arena of play, that player is committed to that identity. One of the fundamental—indeed indispensable—features of human identity is that it is always anchored in affiliations. Boxing, played according to strict rules, has flourished ever since the Marquis of Queensbury rescued it from crude fighting and punching and defined its rules. Soccer is a game in which the scores are always low. Games are often won or lost by a single goal. Running in competitive races consists of the adventure of facing obstacles and overcoming them against an adversary or adversaries.
