Scientific American
Sep 6, 2021 - 25 min
Why do the smartest people have at least one hobby? “Every day we work hard and we make mistakes and we are punished for those mistakes. Games take us to another role where you can make mistakes and you don’t get punished for them. You can always start another game.” Tim Harford reflects on why smart people play games — claiming they can create moments of enchantment to rival the finest music or theatre.