Critical Potential on the Brink of the Magic Circle
Open accessAbstract
This paper explores the problem space of forbidden games: games not only on the border of games and reality, but explicitly referencing the double-coded nature of that boundary-in other words, games that use their status as "only a game" as a strategic gesture.It asks three key questions: what does it mean to be a forbidden or "brink" game, what is the function of these works, and, perhaps most importantly, to what extent do they have critical potential.To answer these questions, a methodological approach is drawn from functional systems theory, as read primarily through the work of Niklas Luhmann.Through this approach, I demonstrate the importance of these games in relation to the separation of games and reality, and suggest the strength of such works lies in their ability to both observe and critique everyday life.
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Games may be used to make some implicit rules more explicit by setting the games rules against or parallel to social rules and conventions.
“Games may also be used to make some implicit rules more explicit by setting the games rules against or parallel to social rules and conventions (Poremba, 2007, p. 772).”
From Real-time hermeneutics: meaning-making in ludonarrative digital games (2018) · cites this paper as Poremba, 2007
In “Forbidden Games (and Others on the Brink)” (page unavailable in our copy), Poremba says games can draw out implicit social rules by putting them in conflict with implicit game rules. That supports setting rules against social conventions, but the passage does not establish that placing the rules in parallel has the same effect. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredBrink games play with the boundary by pitting implicit social rules against implicit or explicit game rules.
“In comparison, brink games play with the boundary by pitting implicit social rules against implicit or explicit game rules (Poremba, 2007, p. 772, 774).”
From Real-time hermeneutics: meaning-making in ludonarrative digital games (2018) · cites this paper as Poremba, 2007, p. 772, 774
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Cites
Beyond Play: A New Approach to Games
Malaby, T. M. (2007) · Games and Culture · doi:10.1177/1555412007299434 · Cited by 434 · see citing works
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Research works printed but not linked: 14
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- Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. This is Not a Game: Play in Cultural Environments in Level Up Conference Proceedings, M. Copier, & J. Raessens, Eds., University of Utrecht, Utrecht, NL 2003.
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Real-time hermeneutics: meaning-making in ludonarrative digital games
Arjoranta, J. (2018) · doi:10.31237/osf.io/uep74 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
- Authors
- Poremba, C.
- Affiliations
- Concordia University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Poremba, Cindy
- ORCID
- Poremba, Cindy
- Venue
- DiGRA Digital Library
- Published
- 2007-01-01
- Volume
- 4
- ISSN
- 2342-9666
- OpenAlex
- W2149041083
- Cited by
- 36
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 35.92
- Type
- conference paper
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- OCAD University Open Research Repository (OCAD University) (submittedVersion)
- Digital Games Research Association Conference
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Visual Arts and Performing Arts › Theatre and Performance Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Games and Media
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Literary Theory and Cultural Hermeneutics
- Keywords
- magic circle, double coding, critical potential, functional systems theory, Niklas Luhmann, critique of everyday life
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