The Masquerade of Play : A Reappraisal of the Magic Circle

Abstract

The Magic Circle has been a subject of continuous debate and criticism, and declared obsolete several times. Despite this, it has endured and reappeared in discussions and comparisons of play and non-play, and the boundaries thereof. It has proven persistent despite all its criticism and yet the reason for its continued existence has not been clarified. Understanding why it has been persistent is crucial to help explain its power as a metaphor. In this paper, we draw on a literature review of the criticisms and defense of the Magic Circle, and argue that it should not be conceptualized as a hard boundary between play and non-play, but rather a social construction that is itself "played with"during play. We argue that the Magic Circle explains the magic (allure, enchantment) of play and thus should be reinterpreted to explain why people play games rather than when they do and do not. This allows us to define how games create a double-nature of seeming like they are frivolous yet are more meaningful, a construct we call "the masquerade of play". It is precisely through socially defining the Magic Circle that players maintain this illusion.