Ludus Triumphorum. A Ludological Introducion to Tarot

In this article, I analyze tarot through the theories and concepts developed in the field of game studies. In the contemporary collective imagination, tarot cards are linked to divination and the esoteric symbolism of their figures, but like other packs of cards they originated as ludic objects. Through the study of historical sources from the 15th and 16th centuries, I investigate the ludic rhetoric generated by the games played with tarot deck and the reflections on the tarot made by various authors. The use of theoretical frameworks developed in game studies is extremely useful to better understand a fascinating and still largely misunderstood game such as the tarot deck.