Dynamics of Modern Gaming

Videogames Consoles: The Wii, Playstation 4 and Xbox One

Videogames are an integral part of many people’s lives, as they provide an output through which people can blow off steam, relax, have fun, kill boredom and compete in a non-serious environment. What allows many players to get these benefits out of videogames is the fact that what happens in the virtual world typically has no effect on the real world.

However, in recent years a new trend, Major League Gaming, has gained considerable popularity, though not nearly the level of popularity seen in most major sports. The key difference between the Major League Gamers and other players is that these professionals compete against each other for money.

Major League Gaming: Call of Duty Ghosts

Breaking the ‘Magic Circle’

We’ve all been in that position where were watching a sporting event, or a TV show, or some other interesting thing and then out of nowhere our phone rings. As I’m sure most of you have realized by this point in your lives, when this happens you always miss something important. Whether it was that crazy 80-yard TD pass or who the killer really was in Law & Order, you missed it and now, you’re mad.

How could you do this to me?

So, what is it that makes people angry in these situations? Well it’s simple, whoever called you, they broke your magic circle. What is a magic circle you might ask? Well, that is a bit more complicated.

The magic circle was a term created by one Johan Huizinga in his book Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture. It was termed to mean the environment in which a game/event takes place. While one is within the magic circle, the outside world is supposed to be dimmed to a dim light that you know is there but just isn’t important in the moment. For example, when you are at a sporting event you have entered a magic circle or when you begin playing a videogame, you have entered a magic circle.

The reason breaking the magic circle is such a disastrous thing is because people use the magic circle as an escape. Due to it’s property that people who enter feel less attached to the real world, it is a great way for people to avoid the stress, problems, and annoyances that they have to face in their daily lives.

This is why when you receive a call while watching that sporting event, you want to tell your boss, spouse, parents, kids or friends to hang the f*** up and leave you alone. This is also why when playing a video game and your best friends texts you asking “are you free to hang” instead of answering you just ignore them like a complete ass.

Missed the TD cause she wanted a pic :/

But not only does breaking into someone’s magic circle take them out of the paradise that they hadtried to create for themselves, it actually creates more stress in their lives. This is because, as the magic circle is broken not only are people forced to remember their problems but now they have a new issue, that they’re missing the game or that their character in Call of Duty was killed.

So through this slightly interesting blog post I would like to beg to all of you magic circle breakers of the world. LEAVE THESE POOR PEOPLE ALONE!