{"id":315,"date":"2024-10-21T07:10:50","date_gmt":"2024-10-21T07:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yorkgamelab.com\/?p=315"},"modified":"2024-10-21T07:12:10","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T07:12:10","slug":"fake-corpses-and-real-fun-exploring-social-frames-in-pervasive-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorkgamelab.com\/ja\/2024\/10\/21\/fake-corpses-and-real-fun-exploring-social-frames-in-pervasive-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Fake Corpses and Real Fun: Exploring Social Frames in Pervasive Games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

[\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u7248\u304c\u4e0b\u306b\u3042\u308a\u307e\u3059<\/strong>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"I<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Figure 1<\/strong>: I lie dead on the floor surrounded by students going about their day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some are working on their essays, homework, and other academic pursuits. Some are relaxing, eating, or just going along with their day. None of them know why I\u2019m lying on the floor. None of them know that I\u2019m dead. Soon, a single student comes over. He doesn\u2019t try and resuscitate me. He doesn\u2019t see anything strange with me lying on the floor in a public space. He just takes a quick photo, calls in my death to the rest of the team, and walks away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not normal, is it? So, how did this situation come about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this short essay I\u2019ll answer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Why I\u2019m lying dead on the floor<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. What it has to do with Suit\u2019s Lusory Attitude and the Magic Circle<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Why any of this is important<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. How this relates to our ways of being (frames) in society<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    1: Why I\u2019m lying dead on the floor<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m not really dead. Obviously. I\u2019m playing a student-made, pervasive game based on the popular mobile game \u201cAmong Us.\u201d If you don\u2019t know it, here\u2019s a quick description of the game:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    — \ud83e\uddd1\u200d\ud83d\ude80–<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Among Us is a multiplayer social deduction game for 4 to 10 players. The game is set in a space station, where players must complete tasks to keep the ship running while also trying to identify and eliminate the imposters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There are two roles in Among Us: Crewmates<\/strong> and Imposters<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Crewmates<\/strong> are tasked with completing a variety of tasks around the ship, such as fixing wiring, fueling engines, and emptying trash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Imposters<\/strong> are tasked with sabotaging the ship and killing the crewmates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The game is played in real-time, and players can communicate with each other using a chat function. Crewmates can use the chat function to discuss who they think the imposters are and to coordinate their tasks. Imposters can use the chat function to lie and deceive their crewmates to avoid being caught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The game ends when all of the tasks are completed, or when all of the crewmates are killed. If all of the crewmates are killed, the imposters win. If all of the tasks are completed, the crewmates win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    BONUS: I\u2019ve written a think piece on how Among Us could be used in language education here<\/a> (York, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    — \ud83e\uddd1\u200d\ud83d\ude80–<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u0d9e Digital version of Among Us<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In the digital game, my agency to \u201cact dead\u201d in the spaceship is completely taken away from me. The game removes my ability to control the character avatar that represents me, and instead, I\u2019m displayed as a kind of cartoon meat stick, bone sticking out to the left (Figure XX). I lose my character avatar and get to control a new avatar: a ghost version of myself which cannot interact with the other still-alive players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Figure 2<\/strong>: A corpse avatar in the digital version of Among Us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Source: https:\/\/among-us.fandom.com\/wiki\/Dead_body<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u0d9e Real-life version of Among Us<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In this real-life version of the game, however, there is no underlying computer software, or hardcoded rules which dictate how I behave or rob my agency. I decide. I know I\u2019m to play dead, but it\u2019s up to me to enact it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, in this case, and in the photo above, I\u2019m doing exactly what is expected of me. My actions (lying down on the fourth floor of Meiji University\u2019s Learning Square at Izumi Campus) are completely logical<\/strong>, <\/strong>and, if anything, the only thing that I should be doing at that point in time<\/strong> \u2026 if you know that I\u2019m playing a game.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That is what this essay is about — explaining why lying on the floor in public was \u201cthe right and natural thing to do\u201d although from the outside my actions look totally the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2: The Magic Circle of Games<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

    The pervasive nature of pervasive games<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    This semester in my Freshman Seminar (\u6559\u990a\u6f14\u7fd2) students were tasked with creating a \u201cbig game\u201d or what is known in game-design circles as a \u201cpervasive game.\u201d These are games that blur the boundary known as the \u201cmagic circle\u201d between the real world and the game world. So let\u2019s think about these concepts: game world, non-game world and the barrier(s) between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The magic circle of (non-pervasive) games<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    One of the core concepts of game philosophy and game studies is defining where a game starts and ends in relation to non-game, real-life contexts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The magic circle<\/strong> is a term coined by Dutch historian of culture Johan Huizinga in his 1938 book Homo Ludens, which describes the temporal and spatial separation of a game from the real world. According to Huizinga, the magic circle is a \u201ctemporary world in which the rules of ordinary life are suspended.\u201d He argues that games create a special kind of reality, separate from the everyday world, in which players can experience a sense of freedom and escape. When players enter the magic circle, they agree to abide by the rules of the game. This creates a sense of shared purpose and cooperation among players, and it allows them to suspend their disbelief and enter into the game world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As a concrete example, consider boxing. Just by observing a boxing match, we know a number of things clearly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n