22/2/2011-The Magic Circle.

Johan Huizinga stated that when in a gaming environment we are sucked into a 'magic circle' whereby everything around us does not exist and we are immersed into an environment where either single or multi player gaming will commence.

A prime example of being immersed into a magic circle is a football pitch,if you remove the goal posts the 22 footballers and the football,the area is just a ordinary playing field.By involving the elements of a ball and the goal posts,the area evolves into a magic circle where an event will take place.In gaming terms these opponents on making a magic circle varies slightly,from where the game is being player and what you are actually playing,The nintendo wii can push the boundaries of the magic circle,and to what extent are we in a magic circle?

When talking about the nintendo wii,you have to be careful in identifying the purpose of the game,are you immersing yourself into the avatar in the game or are you being the controller of the game.This could be questioned against the Xbox as you are being immersed into a game as you are either an individual on mario Kart or are a set group of soldiers in world of war craft.So,what what extent are we being immersed into the magic circle,and is there any real way of being involved in digital games without being in the circle?

                          

                     Johan Huizinga states in his book Homo Ludens.

'A play-community generally tends to become permanent even after the game is

over..the feeling of being 'apart together' in an exceptional situation,of sharing

something important,of mutually withdrawing from the rest of the world and

rejecting the usual norms,retains its magic beyond the duration of the individual

game.' (page 12)

     So can the magic circle immerse us when playing a non digital game?

Video games are hands down more popular know in the 20th century rather

than the typical monopoly board game which is only bought out at christmas,but

can board games still have the same affect on the gamers,or do you have to

enter a realm of cyberspace?

                                                           www.homemademech.com


Mario kart is a  great example of how we are put into a magic circle when playing a game,it
has the key components of Roger Caillois idea of the magic circle which is stated in his book
Man,play and games.

Roger caillois says that there are four basic types of play in digital gaming?

1) Agon- The game is competition (World of War Craft)

2) Alea-The game is by Chance (Card games)

3) Mimicry-Identity changes (you are playing a particular person-Lara Croft)

4) Ilinx-Whereby perception has been changed (out of the norm)

But can these four types be used in a board game,or has technology and the human
imagination and involvement needed to create the perfect magic circle?

Rules of Monopoly.

Whoever finishes the game with the most amount of money WINS!
Jenga

Whoever removes the most amount of bricks without knocking over the tower WINS

Four in a row

Whoever gets four coins in a row WINS

These three non digital games are a great example of roger caillois's idea of agon,whereby the person who lasts the longest or gains the most points is the winner.An example of an agon game in digital gaming is mario kart,whereby time,speed,size and kart matters to whether you will be top of the leader board.this isa  prim example of what the magic circle really is,whereby the aspiration of becoming 1st and therefore being the winner takes on the needs of the target audience.