Analysis and classification of childhood games of John Amades according to the internal logic and the gender of their players (1674-1947)

This paper presents a historical analysis of the physical games in Spain between 1674 and 1947. The object of the study is to analyze the storybook Jochs d’Infanteça of 1674 which was collected in the storybook Auca dels Jocs de la Mainada by Joan Amades in 1947. The study focuses on the symbolism of these activities, their social characterization, the gender relations and the presentation of its internal logic. This article contributes in the knowledge of the motor and social characteristics of these games in the period analyzed, and also, check out the functions and roles of the participants in each of these practices. The methodology consists on a bibliographic review of the original sources of the quoted period (1674-1947) complemented with other recent studies. Thus, it has served to contextualize the theoretical framework. A game taxonomy of the storybook has been developed in the results section. Based on this taxonomy, the internal logic and the predominant gender of these practices have been analyzed.

This whole process has allowed to describe the symbolic values of the games and its principal characteristics. Finally, the study shows clear gender differences during the development of these leisure practices, which are still evident despite its decline due to the idealization of the current co-educational model.