The concept of game-based learning has been a significant part of academic discussions on education since the 1980ies. Many of the ideas inherent in these concepts are easily traceable to early 20th century pedagogues, such as Piaget and Dewey, and game theorists, such as Huizinga and Caillois. However, as presented in this paper, the use of games in education has a longer history. Philosophers and educators have expressly discussed the role of games or play in education, in classical antiquity, and the renaissance in particular. This paper will consider this longer history and present three classical approaches that have the potential to enrich contemporary education.