As previously mentioned, Huizinga emphasizes how play, to be such, must be devoid of material purpose, and it is only in this way that it could become culture. In a similar way, music lacks a distinct and immediately visible aim that aligns with society's conventional criteria for assessing practical activities’ usefulness. It doesn't contribute to knowledge generation per se, it doesn’t bring about direct and significant societal changes, or cultivate skills applicable to other everyday situations. Both games and music may appear insignificant when compared to more utilitarian and evidently labor-intensive endeavors, such as managing a company, coordinating networks, creating websites, or providing financial consultations. Canadian philosopher Thomas Hurka states that playing games is generally less valuable than engaging in more useful non-game activities; music, among all the arts, has consistently stood out as one of the most intricate and inaccessible forms, primarily because of its inherent lack of objective meaning, the need for highly specialized skills, the requirement for advanced technological tools, and the utilization of one of the less dominant senses, the hearing. Music doesn’t cover essential life activities, such as cooking which, despite being also associated with an even less dominant human senses, remains grounded in a fundamental human need and cannot be entirely detached from common human interests. Survival for humanity would have been possible without engaging in play, in the both senses of the verb.
Games and music share a similar amount of deviation from these kinds of establish values, especially of a 21st century western culture centered on a capitalistic economical system, that rate activities in relation to their usefulness (and productivity) within the aforementioned society. Belonging to the artistic landscape, this is certainly not a novel concept to the most expected reader, coming to the realm of music. Conversely, it is relatively recent for the gaming environment, drawing significant interest from academic researchers who are exploring the notion of officially recognizing games as an art form.
Yet, their role in human cultures seem to be central for some reasons. Games and music share a cryptic and a-semantic nature, functioning through indirect representations or distant associations. Neither of them is easily suggested in a formal setting, both appearing to be frivolous time-wasters. They both tap into aspects of brain beyond conscious control, igniting pleasures that may not even be realized or expected. Both are embedded in the culture of a society and serve as its guardians, molding images into archetypes (consider the trajectory of board games like Snakes and Ladders or similar, and the evident allusion to the labyrinth). The aforementioned game of Senet was necessary for the passage of the soul towards resurrection given the frequency of its representation inside tombs; it is needless to recall the ritualistic nature and the uses in religious-spiritual contexts of music, as well as the fascination of the immaterial sound that has always been associated with extraterrestrial presences. Pythagoras established the Western musical system based on a celestial contextualization of sounds, halfway between mathematics and astronomy. Music in Ancient Greek times was even considered a necessary pillar for the formation and progress in the education of philosopher students, at the base of the quadripartite of knowledge that culminated with mathematics, precisely, a divine discipline, an image of the perfection of knowledge and a foundation for understanding the world.
Connections are not limited to ancient times. Resemblances between music and games transcends the bounds of culture, tracing its origins back to a time preceding the very concept of "culture" itself to extend deep into the annals of human history. As a matter of fact, it is quite amusing to discover the presence of both sound expression and playfulness among non-human animals, a facet of their behavior that may come as a surprise. One may encounter studies within the field of ethology that explore the concept of play, even facing very similar challenges in defining it as Huizinga and Caillois did1. Additionally, there exists a field of study known as Zoomusicology, which, while currently limited in terms of formal research, acknowledges the significance of animal sound expression and wonders about their actual aesthetic assumptions. In this regard, it is widely recognized that animals such as birds, whales, or insects engage in singing experiences, often utilized for mating rituals and courtship. However, this perspective diverges somewhat from previous notions of music detached from its functional and societal roles, not involved in any strictly necessary survival toolkit. Similarly, ethologists studying play behavior in non-human animals also link playful activities to developmental factors essential for the animal's survival or group cohesion.2
Games and music also exhibit an intersection in the way they are collectively experienced. Their dynamics can involve group participation, where individuals engage in the activities together, or they may serve as solitary pastimes enjoyed for their intrinsic appeal. On occasion, these pursuits transform into communal experiences, sparkling shared engagement that can be observed in situations like sports events and concerts, completing the interaction with an audience. This shared aspect spans various dimensions of experimentation, contributing to the diverse ways in which people connect through games or music. Throughout history, games and music have played distinctive roles in societal contexts. Consider, for instance, the circus games held in the Coliseum of ancient Rome or the resonance of Gregorian chants during the Medieval period, not to mention the frequent occurrence of both activities in parties and celebrations, distinctly recognized as social gatherings. In both instances, these seemingly "leisure activities" served as intentional tools to foster connections among participants and convey specific intentions, like distraction and entertainment or deeper connection to deities. Nguyen defines games as a "unique social technology," emphasizing their role as tools and interactive mediums to facilitate social bonding. This acknowledgment underscores the agency of games in shaping social interactions and dynamics, as already mentioned.
A deeper analysis comes once again from the researcher at the University of Utah. Nguyen's fascinating opinion suggests that there is a special harmony between the coincidence and success of certain skills in overcoming specific challenges in the world, and that this generates a sensation akin, to some extent, to the aesthetic experience. This is a particularly important meeting point, as it connects an element of particular importance to the musical sphere in achieving the goal, namely the dimension of "abilities". While listening to a piece by Bach, we are struck not only by its pure "beauty", but also by the technical quality with which the performance is conducted; virtuosity has been the focus of an entire century of music, through figures such as Paganini, Liszt, and other authors now forgotten but particularly famous in the 19th century. Virtuosity in music today is no longer conceived with the same performative dimension as in the past, but it still exists to some extent in aesthetic discussions between composers and performers, and is a point of reflection in numerous exchanges between musicologists and researchers. The set of "skills" in games is instead much more varied, precisely because the quantity and different types of games vary, requiring very different skill sets. Music is relatively more circumscribed, but particularly in recent times, thanks also to the invention of different types of instruments (consider the ground zero of musical performance, computer music, and electronic music) and different agencies compared to ancient instruments (such as hyper-instruments, augmented instruments, and so on), it is opening up the range of technical qualities required for musical performance, approaching more and more a certain universality that sometimes even transcends the physical abilities of the performer.
The immateriality of both instances could be taken into consideration: among the media of all artistic disciplines, sound is the one that has aroused the most curiosity and has been invested with roles and meanings beyond the earthly; in a certain sense, even in games, the dimension of a lack of materiality has often played an important role in their enjoyment and popularity, if not in the stratification of such activities in the cultural structures of civilizations. “Games are part of the human practices of inscription. Painting let us record sights, music let us record sounds, […] games let us record agencies.”3 Agency is the medium through which games take place and activate human’s perception and cognitive structure. Risking to result contradictory, with this perspective the previously declared premises on urgent usefulness or lack thereof of music and games may be disregarded, having found a functional role within society needs through the engagement of human perception and cognitive structures throughout mankind evolution. Concerning this particular concept, it is important to acknowledge that "agency" is a complex and widely debated notion within the field of philosophy and anthropology, beyond the purview of a music student's expertise. In the context of the professor’s work, "agency" can be conceived as the capacity of individuals to act independently and make choices that influence their environment and social interactions. It encompasses the idea of personal empowerment and autonomy within social structures. Essentially, agency may be considered the ability of individuals to exert control over their own actions and shape the course of their lives - which can be surely defined a fundamental skill to be developed, way more relevant and transversal than sounds memory. Other definition of “agency” may provide more insight on Nguyen's definition of games, but they won’t be delved into further here. However, the quote underscores the significance of both music and games in human history. Their roles extend far beyond mere entertainment; they are intertwined with the fabric of human experience and societal development.