Dit artikel is gepubliceerd door Research Outreach en geschreven door Prof. Samantha Punch (University of Stirling) en Dr. David Scott (Abertay University). Wij plaatsen het hier omdat het de wetenschappelijke basis vormt voor ons werk. BAMSA-artikelen zijn openbaar toegankelijk en mogen vrijelijk gedeeld worden.
Electronic sports, or esports, have evolved the concept of 'sport', especially around the mental acuity needed to play. Professor Samantha Punch at the University of Stirling, together with Dr David Scott at Abertay University, Scotland, see similarities in the card game bridge. They are helping establish a new academic subdiscipline – the sociology of mindsport. In the process, Punch and Scott have uncovered characteristics of the game bridge, including its intense physicality and team play, that have remained largely unnoticed. Their research also draws attention to bridge's status as a mindsport that anyone can play.
The explosion of electronic sports has changed our understanding of 'sport'. Like big-name footballers and cricketers, professional esports players have dedicated fans and attract six-figure sponsorships. Televised major esports events beamed from packed stadia enthral millions of viewers. Players remain largely seated and physical exertion seems largely subdued, but study them carefully and you realise you don't have to swing a sword to be gladiatorial. Furthermore, esports have shown that to be highly competitive within a team requires razor-sharp focus for extended periods, activating and engaging multiple senses, understanding long-game strategy and short-game tactics, and an almost intuitive connection with the other players. With this in mind, a team of researchers is drawing attention to the rigours – and benefits – of another chair-based sport.
Dr Samantha Punch is Professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Stirling in Scotland. Her research focuses on childhood, youth, and intergenerational relations. She brings to this research an unusual skillset – for over 20 years, she has played competitive bridge at national and international levels. Her insight and experience in this regard have been instrumental in developing a research project called 'Bridge: A MindSport for All', or BAMSA, and helping establish a new academic subdiscipline – the sociology of mindsport.
Bridge is a distinctive and complex trick-taking card game – using a standard deck of 52 cards – that combines strategy, memory, and teamwork; the latter makes it somewhat unique. It is played by four players in two opposing partnerships. The game consists of bidding and playing the hand, and players engage in offensive and defensive play. The deep level of cooperation and communication required between partners to pull this off gives bridge its unique allure. While partners must work closely, direct communication or secret signals about their hands are prohibited. Instead, they communicate indirectly through their choices of bids and plays. One incorrect interpretation can turn a game and bring defeat to a partnership; it is psychological and emotional as well as technical.
This demand for intricate communication, strategic planning, and cooperation between partners, all within strict rules about sharing information, elevates bridge from a mere game of cards to a sophisticated mental exercise, combining logic, psychology, and teamwork. This combination is why, like chess and Go, bridge carries the mantle of a mindsport, and why Punch sees a space for it in schools.
According to Punch and Scott, the 'physicality' that supposedly characterises an activity as a 'sport' traditionally follows notions of Cartesian duality – that the mind and body are separate entities. Professional sports players would disagree and say that much of winning comes from combining body and mind. This monist approach (that the mind and body are inseparable) characterises how bridge players experience the game.
Firstly, bridge players need endurance and stamina – games require intense concentration and can last hours. Major bridge championships are played over 1-2 weeks, which are physically and emotionally exhausting for the participants. The psychology of competition means players require physical presence and poise to 'be in the game' and influence opponents. They continually employ subtle non-verbal communication with their partners, and their senses must be hyper-alert to what their opponents might be doing themselves.
Elite-level players attest to the effects of fatigue, concentration, communication, pressure, anticipation, and physical presence as all noticeably 'felt' experiences. This intensity, especially at an elite level, requires discipline, and although the game is mainly mental, as in other forms of competition, general physical health and well-being can affect performance.
By analysing the social dynamics of tournament bridge in the BAMSA study, Punch and her collaborator Dr Zoe Russell have shown how elite-level players develop their identities through both individual preparation and social interactions within the bridge community. Their study unveiled that beyond the intensive practice, technical training, intellectual skill, and physical stamina that elite players need to maintain, there is a recursive and layered model of identities across self, partnership, and community.
Punch's research has also shown how elite bridge players consider the values of courage, integrity, composure, and gameness as central to their identity, and how participation in international tournaments fosters a collective identity.
For many years, bridge has pushed to become an Olympic sport, championed by the World Bridge Federation, which the International Olympic Committee recognises. Punch has shown that its increasing professionalism may be a route to acceptance, but it is up against a bulwark of stereotypical public perceptions.
Bridge is a highly inclusive, competitive, strategic, and at times physically demanding sport that encourages cooperation and partnerships but can play out in a simple room with chairs and a table.
Bron: Research Outreach. Originele publicatie: Scott, D S, Punch, S, (2024) The physicality of mindsports through elite bridge players' sensorial experiences. The Sociological Review, 72(1), 194–212.
Meer over BAMSA: www.bridgemindsport.org