Sometimes, I see it in the work of colleagues for whom I have the utmost respect and whose work I otherwise admire: game studies icons Mia Consalvo, Marinka Copier, and T.L. It goes beyond just wide-eyed graduate students.

But what I want to ask here is: what is this oppressive regime that these well-intentioned researchers feel a need to overthrow? Who is this Voldemort that these papers dangerously invoke, in order to stage a final battle of good against evil? Does anyone really hold to the orthodox, narrow view of the magic circle, or is the phenomenon of taking down the magic circle just game studies scholars tilting at windmills? The Magic Circle Jerk We all know it's fun to take down an authority figure. It seems to have become a rite of passage for game studies scholars: somewhere between a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's thesis, everyone has to write the paper where the magic circle finally gets what it deserves. I regularly get emails from budding game critics asking me if I think the magic circle 'really ultimately truly' does actually exist. They proceed to supplant the narrow magic circle point of view with one of their own - an approach that emphasizes something like social interaction between players, a wider cultural context, or concrete sociopolitical reality. They begin by citing either Johannes Huizinga's Homo Ludens or Rules of Play (the game design textbook I co-authored with Katie Salen), and then elaborate mightily on the dangers of the magic circle approach. Invariably, these presentations have a single aim: to devalue, dethrone, or otherwise take down the oppressive regime of the magic circle. They are generally given by earnest graduate students, and have titles like 'Beyond the Magic Circle,' or 'The Pitfalls of the Magic Circle.' A few years ago, there was an entire conference called 'Breaking the Magic Circle.' If you've ever been to an academic game gathering, you know the kind of talk.

Shoot Me NowĪt game studies conferences, I often find myself browsing through the scheduled program and finding one or more presentations on the magic circle. And along the way, I offer some correctives to how we think about the concept, about game design theory, and about the more general study of games. Soon, the two are forced undercover and into a fake relationship…but pretending to be in love with each other might be the easiest part of this complex case.Is the magic circle a verifiable phenomenon? A useful fiction? A ridiculous travesty? And who really cares? This essay endeavors to answer these questions by looking at the history, the use, and the misuse of the term. But if she wants to find the missing child, she'll have to swallow her pride and work with Sebastian-no matter how unorthodox his methods are. Mel doesn't believe in psychics, even if Sebastian's talents have proved helpful in the past. Having searched for leads for two months, private investigator Mel Sutherland is only slightly offended that Sebastian has been requested to work on the case. But when he receives a desperate call from a young mother looking for her missing baby, Sebastian agrees to help. Nash is ready to start believing in magic, but is Morgana ready to open her heart?Īs a rule, Sebastian Donovan never likes making his psychic gifts public. But something about Morgana makes Nash want to change. Working in Hollywood, Nash assumes magic is only special effects and smoke and mirrors-and he's written enough horror films to know exactly what goes on behind the scenes. She allows him to make foolish assumptions about magic, but quickly grows tired of his close-minded ideas on the modern witch. When filmmaker Nash Kirkland reaches out to real-life witch Morgana Donovan to use her as a research subject for his next film, Morgana humors the skeptical writer. Discover the magical secrets of the Donovan family in these two reader-favorite tales!

The magic circle