Breaking Mc Stine Ejsing Duun

Slide 1: A Game Magically Circling Stine Ejsing-Duun PhD Fellow Centre for Playware University of Southern Denmark sted@litcul.sdu.dk

Slide 2: 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

Slide 3: 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

Slide 4: 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 Not possible actions actions - - Rules apply Rules do not apply

Slide 5: 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

Slide 6: 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)

Slide 7: 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

Slide 8: 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

Slide 9: 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

Slide 10: 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?

Slide 11: Thanks! Feel free to contact me: Stine Ejsing-Duun Centre for Playware University of Southern Denmark sted@litcul.sdu.dk http://www.linkedin.com/in/stineejsingduun