Homo ludens is one of the most important figures in modern anthropology. At the same time, (post-)modern theories have invoked the game to formulate a firm antithesis to anthropological concepts. This essay outlines 20th and early 21st century controversies about the game and homo ludens in order to develop a third position: one that, following Leibniz and Walter Benjamin, has the human being vanish in substance for the sake of subsequent historical recurrenc
