Really Fake: The Magic Circle, the Mundane Circle, and the Everyday

Authors

  • Joshua Zimmerman University of Arizona

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7557/23.6046

Abstract

This article focuses on how the “everyday" has colonized and complicated the virtual world. Using examples drawn primarily from Sony Online Entertainment's Everquest 2, I explore the way that both the institutional force of the everyday and mundane objects such as tables and chairs have come to be a major part of play in MMORPGs. In exploring these topics, I consider the possibility of a "mundane circle" in which mundane objects and activities exist in a fantasy setting. I also examine how the presence of these mundane objects refreshes the fantasy world. In the end, I question whether play can truly be called so when the virtual world is so reminiscent of the real world.

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Published

2010-11-04

How to Cite

Zimmerman, J. (2010) “Really Fake: The Magic Circle, the Mundane Circle, and the Everyday”, Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture, 4(2), pp. 237–251. doi: 10.7557/23.6046.

Issue

Section

Perspectives