A Game Magically Circling

Stine Ejsing-DuunPhD Fellow

Centre for PlaywareUniversity of Southern Denmark

sted@litcul.sdu.dk

Scope of Paper

• Covers following:

– The magic circle as a concept– Alternative Reality Games (ARG)– Theory of psychologist Michael Apter– Theory of game researcher Jane McGonigal

Huizinga – the starting point

• A few of Huizingas ideas:

– Rules separate play from ordinary world– Rules are:

• Fixed• Unambiguous• Reliable

– In play the players are isolated from the ordinary world

Rules and Goals (According to Zimmerman & Salen)

• Rules– Limit possibilities

• Goals– Through these players judge which possibilities are relevant

• This means that, inside the magic circle :– There is a pool of relevant possibilities– Rules apply

Possible actions

-

Rules apply

Not possible actions

-

Rules do not apply

Magic Circle inadequate

• In ARGs players do not know if the rules apply or the actions are possible– A pool of “Rules might apply” and “Actions might be relevant”

• We need something else than the Magic Circle to describe the situation– Paper uses Michael Apter

Michael Apter – in brief (I)

• Apter about play:– ‘Play is a state of mind’– ’Play is a mental set towards the world + our actions in it

• To understand human actions understand motivation, which is a sense of:– Arousal (high or low)– Goals– Means

• Meta-motivation decides what level gives pleasure:– High arousal (Process-oriented paratelic)– Low arousal (Goal-oriented telic)

Apter – in brief (II)

• In play psychological bubble is experienced– Bubble removes harm and threats (they are not experienced)– …players still want to experience danger though…

• Tiger with a cage:– -Tiger+cage+crowd = Boredom– +Tiger-cage+crowd = Anxiety– +Tiger+cage-crowd = Senseless (Apter does not mention this)– +Tiger+cage+crowd = Excitement

Anxiety Excitement

• Jane McGonigal– In ARGs players perform believe

• Pretending the cage is not there – knowing that it is

• My thesis:– Players are motivated to play with:

• The relation between anxiety and excitement• Not knowing if the things they meet are real with potential

threats

Integration - interpretation

• The player define where the magic is:– Motivation: Regulate activities level of arousal– Rules and goals: Helps interpreting relevance of events (to

certain extend)– Narrative: Tool for integrating events

• Players embrace events – they give them meaning

What does this imply?

• In design– Leave room for doubt and interpretation– Give tools and opportunity to “cast the magic circle”

• The ordinary world (as opposed to game world) is present during play– But it is viewed differently– …perhaps even after playing the game?

Thanks!

Feel free to contact me:

Stine Ejsing-Duun

Centre for PlaywareUniversity of Southern Denmark

sted@litcul.sdu.dk http://www.linkedin.com/in/stineejsingduun