week4

The magic circle and lusory attitude
“The frame is a concept connected to the question of “reality” of a game, of the relationship between the artificial world of the game and the “real life” contexts that intersects. This frame is called magic circle” (salen and Zimmerman, 2004:p94). The magic circle is according to salen and Zimmerman an enchanted zone with fixed boundaries and rules (2004:p94-95). We can thus say that the magic circle is a frame that a player enters when playing a game, with set boundaries and rules. I would like to discuss the magic circle with the example of grand Theft Auto Vice city. Playing it is also like entering a magic circle. When you start to play (on a computer) you cut yourself off with the real world entering the magic circle, this is just the physical aspect. Psychologically you enter another world that of this game being the case vice city. It has boundaries, you can roam around but cannot go over the boundaries of vice city similarly it has rules, If you go inside the water you will be wasted or if you shoot a cop you will get a wanted level. These rules and boundaries are very different from the ones in real life. You cannot kill people that easily in real life as you can in vice city. Thus you enter the magic circle and abide by the rules and boundaries of the game. You do stuff in the magic circle (vice city) safely whereas the same stuff in real life can have dire consequences. The cutting off from real life and entering in the word of the game can be said as entering the magic circle.
When a player “adopts rules which require one to employ worse rather than better means for reaching an end” is called a lusory attitude (salen and Zimmerman,2004:p97). They go on to say that when a player adopts an attitude to derive pleasure by complying with the inefficient rules of the game they are playing. A point which they illustrate by giving an example of boxer’s wearing soft gloves (salen and Zimmerman, 2004:p97-98). Even while playing GTA one adopts a lusory attitude when entering the magic circle (vice city) like killing people is okay, settling disputes with guns, stealing cars etc. things one would never do (well maybe not never but seldom) in real life. Thus to enter the magic circle players adopt a lusory attitude.

Word count: 403


Bibliography:
Salen,k. and Zimmerman, E. (2004) RULES OF PLAY game design fundamental