When players have accepted the invitation to play,
they are within Huizinga??™s ???magic circle,??? as discussed
in Chapter 2. Within the magic circle, the rules of
games take on a certain power and a certain potential.
Bound by the rules of play, we perform actions that
we would never otherwise consider??”shooting, killing,
50 Chapter 3: Working with Formal Elements
Invitation to Play
Other arts also create their own temporary worlds:
the frame of a painting, the proscenium of a stage,
a motion picture screen. The moments of entry into
these worlds are ritualized in recognizable moments:
the dimming of the lights, the drawing back of the curtains,
and, for games, the invitation to play. One of the
most important moments in a game is this invitation.
In a board or card game, the invitation is part of the
social makeup of the game??”players invite each other
to play. The o?¬? er is accepted and the game is begun.
In a digital game, the process is much more technical.
Usually there is a start bu on or an entry screen. But
some games make an extra e?¬? ort to extend a more
visceral invitation.
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