This week’s readings were an enjoyable break from the usual topics of both board and video games. Being able to relate more to sports, it was intriguing to read about the shift from religious connotations about sports, such as mountaineering, to a notion of “mountain conquering” that aims at satisfying personal thirst for accomplishment. Similarly, it was curious to read about how those involved in martial arts had to fight to portray their art as a respected sport. In Morris’ article it is mentioned about the rise of physical fitness being incorporated into school curriculum. It seems that once again the focus from a more spiritually foundational place shifted to a focus on physical fitness and having a healthy populace. Although the pressure from China to promote a healthy “mind, body, soul”, at what point is it too much? I agree with Patrick’s comments about the stereotype classification of what is means to be a player of video games and a player of a sport. Are they one in the same? What then could classify athleticism? One could argue that board games and video games promote academic athleticism. Although video and board games are not physically active, they do improve brain functioning in various ways- reaction time, spatial mapping, etc. The topic of gender was also brushed on in the readings. I was surprised to read about the prominence of women in polo. Today, women are typically allowed in every sport, but the degree to which they are nationally recognized and watched are drastically lower than men’s sports. Will this gender disparity change in time? To be discussed! Also, I have no idea how to add an image- but I enjoy the picture on page 297 of the Polo article with the emperor and his sons playing polo…dressed as women?