Beyond Huizinga and Caillois: French play studies before game studies.

This article examines the overlooked contributions of French scholars Jean Château and Jacques Henriot to the development of play studies, arguing that their work predates and complements the foundational English-language game studies of Johan Huizinga and Roger Caillois. Château emphasized play (jeu) as a serious, effortful activity integral to childhood development and artistic expression, while Henriot approached play phenomenologically, highlighting its cultural and linguistic construction rather than treating it as an inherent or purely formalized activity. The article contrasts the French focus on the social and experiential dimensions of play with the English-language emphasis on games as rule-based objects and human-computer interactions, advocating for greater inclusion of Château and Henriot in the historiography of game studies. It also discusses how language barriers and differing intellectual traditions have contributed to the marginalization of French play studies in anglophone scholarship.