ABSTRACT
Performance may be dened as ritualized behavior permeated by play. While rituals are most oen xed or at least regularized, playing is “free.” Of course, games (sports, cards, chess, and so on) are
possible only if the players adhere to agreed-upon rules. Gaming involves understanding the rules in order to gain an advantage. Cheating is possible only within the framework of rule-bound behavior, which the cheater intentionally and surreptitiously subverts or violates. Child-play is dierent from adult-play. Children spend a great amount of time and energy in exploratory playing while adults spend most of their playtime in games. However, experimenting-in science as well as art-is a mode of “playing around,” close to child-play: except that scientists and artists keep records of their playing, developing theories, and art works, systematically.
