Editorial| June 01 2012 Games People Play World Policy Journal (2012) 29 (2): 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1177/0740277512451443 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Games People Play. World Policy Journal 1 June 2012; 29 (2): 1–2. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0740277512451443 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search Books & JournalsAll JournalsWorld Policy Journal Search Advanced Search A fiercely competitive spirit lives in our DNA. Since humans first walked upright, we competed for survival—fighting for food, shelter, and fire. Many of these life-or-death contests evolved into games with intense rivalries among individuals, villages, and eventually nations. The Greeks invented the Olympics nearly a millennium before the common era, and like today, politics and militarism reared their ugly heads. With a brazen military maneuver in foreign territory in 420 B.C.E., Sparta violated the Olympic Truce, which protected Greeks traveling to the Games, and was banned from participating. Sports and games are universal, and through these competitions, we realize on a smaller, simpler scale every aspect of the human condition. Civilization has long been about outthinking, outgaming one’s opponents. With their constant variety, the thrills of victory, and the agonies of defeat, sports and games help define the world.This summer of the XXX Olympiad, World Policy Journal is... You do not currently have access to this content.