Ilinx

Ilinx is a kind of play, described by sociologist Roger Caillois, a major figure in game studies. Ilinx creates a temporary disruption of perception, as with vertigo, dizziness, or disorienting changes in direction of movement.

Caillois identified several categories of play in Les Jeux et Les Hommes (ISBN 978-2070326723; 1958, in English as Man, Play and Games ISBN 978-0252070334; 2001.) In the book, Caillois described the category of ilinx as games that:

"...are based on the pursuit of vertigo and which consist of an attempt to momentarily destroy the stability of perception and inflict a kind of voluptuous panic upon an otherwise lucid mind. In all cases, it is a question of surrendering to a kind of spasm, seizure, or shock which destroys reality with sovereign brusqueness."

External links

• Homepage of ilinx. Berlin Journal for Cultural History and Theory