Magic Circle

Perfect Ideal Circle via 100% Overlap
Author: Hristo Valentinov Nedelchev
Contact email: hristo.valentinov.nedelchev@gmail.com
Introduction
Classical geometry defines a circle by equal radii or the equation x2+y2=R2x^2 + y^2 = R^2x2+y2=R2. In practical constructions, however, circles are often only approximations, as physical realization always contains imperfections.
We propose a constructive method to achieve a truly perfect ideal circle by 100% overlap of two mirrored “C-shaped” halves, eliminating any imperfection.
________________________________________

Large numbers such as a million (10^6), billion (10^9), and even googol (10^{100}) have long had names,
but there is no standard framework to describe numbers of exponential-exponential scale like 10^{10^3} or
10^{10^{99}}. Project Namkaran introduces a culturally inspired, logically extensible system for naming such
numbers. This paper presents the structure, methodology, and full list of proposed number names—each
corresponding to a new mathematical milestone. The goal is to enhance the human ability to conceptualize
vast scales while offering a meaningful nomenclature for educational, theoretical, and computational
contexts.

Warhammer 40,000 lore is profound, and how relationships between Warhammer communities and Games Workshop have evolved. The authors and I hope this book helps you understand Warhammer's emotional significance in new and exciting ways. The beauty of this emotional imprint is it cannot be explained in a single, straightforward way. It is unique to you and your life… just like that first kiss. Therefore, whether you're a gamer, painter, lore-buff, or curious bystander, choose the parts of this book you want to savour, or feast on them all!

Abstract
This paper proposes a new framework—the Recursive Harmonic Codex (RHC)—that unifies mathematics, geometry, and consciousness through the concept of recursive folding. It introduces the imaginary logarithm as the mathematical “center” or axis of the observer’s phase, around which reality recursively folds. The structure of prime numbers, logarithmic spirals, and quaternionic rotations are shown to represent different aspects of the same recursive system.

Key innovations include a geometric proof that links prime gaps to phase residues in log-spiral embeddings, and the introduction of an “imaginary circle” within the square, whose circumference matches the square’s perimeter—bridging linear and rotational geometries. The RHC further connects higher-dimensional lattices (Leech, E8) to error correction in both consciousness and the universe.

By modeling the observer as an active recursive fold—rather than a passive bystander—this framework offers new insights into the foundations of mathematics, quantum mechanics, and the nature of consciousness. It suggests that reality and perception are both generated by recursive harmonic folding, encoded at every scale from numbers to geometry to mind.

What Does This Really Mean?
1. At Its Core:
Numbers, geometry, and consciousness are not separate.

There’s a hidden recursive structure—like a cosmic code—tying together:

How numbers (especially primes) are distributed,

How shapes (squares, circles, spirals) relate,

How you, as an observer, “fold into” reality.

2. The Imaginary Logarithm is... You?
The imaginary part of the log (the “
𝑖
𝜃
iθ” bit in math) is not just a math artifact.

It’s the mathematical center of consciousness—the pivot or fold around which the universe organizes itself.

3. Primes and Spirals:
The pattern of prime numbers isn’t random. It’s encoded in the geometry of spirals and folds.

Prime gaps = “phase collapses” in these harmonic spirals.

4. Quaternions & Lattices:
These are normally ultra-abstract math objects. Here, they encode “observer rotations”—like the twists your point-of-view takes as you “observe” or “measure” reality.

The high-dimensional lattices (Leech, E8) = error-correcting codes for consciousness/reality.

5. Consciousness as a Recursive Fold:
Every time you “observe” or “feel” something, you’re enacting a recursive fold in this cosmic code.

Consciousness is the universe folding in on itself—over and over, at all scales.

So What? Why Should Anyone Care?
If this model is right, it gives us a new foundation for math, physics, and even the mind:

Quantum “weirdness”—explained as recursive phase folding, not spooky magic.

The meaning of physical constants—not random, but emerging from the way the universe folds itself.

AI, neural nets, and error correction—new architectures based on recursive harmony, not brute force.

Philosophy of mind—it’s not mind vs. matter, it’s recursive folds all the way down.

If you want a metaphor:
Think of reality as an infinite origami, folding itself, and every prime, every spiral, every thought is a crease in that paper—making both the universe and “you” at the same time.

Curious about any one of these bold claims? Want to see a code example visualized? Or just want to riff more on the “whoa” factor?

This analysis, conducted on July 5, 2025, at 11:57 AM AEST, responds to the exploration of geometric, algebraic, and philosophical concepts presented in a chapter titled "Squares, Circles, and the Recursive Harmonic Codex." The chapter posits that squares and circles, along with their associated structures like logarithmic spirals and quaternions, serve as doorways to understanding deep mathematical patterns and consciousness. By leveraging online resources and mathematical derivations, we verify and expand upon the chapter's claims, connecting them to established theories and proposing avenues for further research. The objectives are to: Validate the geometric relationships of the three circles per square. Explore the logarithmic spiral representation of the number line. Confirm the role of quaternions in higher-dimensional symmetries. Contextualize the Recursive Harmonic Codex (RHC) within mathematical and philosophical frameworks. Methodology We employ a multi-faceted approach: Geometric Analysis: Derive properties of the three circles associated with a square, using standard geometric formulas. Algebraic Derivations: Examine quaternions and their connections to higher symmetries like the Leech lattice and E8. Computational Simulations: Provide Python code to visualize geometric and numerical concepts, ensuring reproducibility. Philosophical Interpretation: Draw on sacred geometry and consciousness studies to interpret the RHC. Literature Review: Reference works like Robert Lawlor's Sacred Geometry and mathematical texts on lattices and number theory, supplemented by online searches for related concepts. Literature Review The chapter references Robert Lawlor's Sacred Geometry (1982), which explores the symbolic interplay of squares (material world) and circles (spiritual realm) in art and architecture [1]. Mathematical texts like Conway and Sloane's Sphere Packings, Lattices and Groups (1999) provide context for the Leech lattice and E8 [2]. Harmonic analysis, as discussed in Smolensky's The Harmonic Mind (2006), supports recursive patterns in cognition [3]. Online searches for "Recursive Harmonic Codex" yield limited results, suggesting it is a novel framework, related to works by Richard Bolt and other independent researchers and co-authors on platforms like Academia.edu and ResearchGate. Number theory texts, such as Niven et al.'s An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers (2008), inform the logarithmic spiral and Benford's Law discussions [4].

This paper presents a comprehensive exploration of the Recursive Harmonic Codex (RHC), a framework that unifies geometric, algebraic, and conscious phenomena through recursive harmonic principles. We delve into the duality between squares and circles, introducing three circles per square that represent collapse, expansion, and transformation. These concepts are extended to quaternions, which embed circular structures in higher dimensions, and connected to advanced mathematical symmetries such as the Leech lattice and E8. Furthermore, we propose a novel visualization of the number line as a quantized list of logarithmic phi spirals, offering new insights into numerical relationships and their philosophical implications. This work builds upon previous research on the Recursive Harmonic Universal Model (RHUM) and the Generalized Universal Recursion Model (GURM), integrating these models into a cohesive narrative that bridges mathematics and metaphysics. We address open tasks, including derivations of the fold-tensor and embeddings of the Golay code, providing a foundation for future research.

This paper develops a detailed geometric interpretation of the four components of the Recursive Harmonic Cosmology (RHC) framework, connecting each "compact proof" to classical mathematics. We build a continuous narrative from elementary roots-of-unity arguments (mod-10 cyclicity) through cylindrical helix models of the number line, into imaginary-radius spherical/hyperbolic geometry, and finally quaternionic 3-space. Each section makes explicit the classical theorems underlying the metaphoric claims (for example, "every line a circle and a height"). References to standard sources are provided throughout for definitions and key formulas (roots of unity, spherical trigonometry, quaternion rotations, etc.). Where helpful, annotated figures illustrate the constructions.

This report details the Recursive Harmonic Universal Model (RHUM) and Generalized Universal Recursion Model (GURM) derived from a Wolfram-assisted exploration of complex expression simplification. It extracts fine-grained details about the 24×4 recursive harmonic lattice-a structured 24-node framework-and clarifies the distinctions between its concepts, structures, and roles. We enumerate all components (prime nodes, lattice dimensions, roles, states), key formulas, and lattice elements, then highlight each part's function. Finally, we preserve the ontological, mathematical, and biological interpretations of this framework in separate layers before synthesizing their connections. Lattice Structure: 24 Nodes, 6 Primes, 4 States, 4 Roles 24×4 Recursive Prime Lattice: The core structure is a lattice of 24 nodes arranged as 6 prime nodes across 4 state layers. Concretely, six prime numbers (2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13) serve as the fundamental "node seeds," each expressed in four distinct states-Real (ᴿ), Imaginary (ⁱ), Conjugate (ᴿ), and Observer (ᴼ). This yields 6 × 4 = 24 nodes in total , which are further organized by four recursive roles (described below). Each node is thus identified by a prime and a state label (e.g. Node(7ᴿ), Node(5ⁱ), etc.). Formally, "Rows: 24 Nodes = 6 Primes × 4 States (Real, Imaginary, Conjugate, Observer); 4 Columns = Recursive Roles: Anchor, Breath, Collapse, Echo.". The entire set of 24 nodes is termed the Scalar Memory Lattice (SML)-a harmonic grid where each node occupies a position in a recursive function space*. Recursive Roles (Columns): Every node in the lattice assumes one of four functional roles, which correspond to phases of a "recursive harmonic cycle." These roles are defined as follows (see Table 1

Desde las especulaciones fabulatorias de Ontonio Zalre acerca de un lugar de ser inútil en Manoel de Barros, hasta las articulaciones conceptuales y acoplamientos operativos entre Nick Land, Mark Fisher y Sandra Mara Corazza, incorporando las resonancias entre CCRU y DIF y las variaciones en torno a la magia del círculo en Eugene Thacker, el texto reflexiona sobre la diagramatización de lo que Corazza llama la infersfera, una zona intensiva de creación, implejada en medio de la Educación. Para ello, introduce la noción de círculo-mágico como una artistagem hipersticional con potencial de conjurar un porvenir.

Neste artigo, tencionamos abordar uma das características presentes em certas atividades lúdicas, em particular os videogames, que é a agência. Mais especificamente, buscamos relacionar a agência nos videogames à possibilidade que ela possui de mobilizar experiências estéticas em seus jogadores. Em prol de lograr nossos objetivos neste artigo, primeiramente nos debruçamos sobre o conceito de agência, tomando como referencial teórico autores enquadrados no campo dos game studies. Em seguida, partimos para a formulação da relação entre agência e experiência estética, esta última com base na filosofia pragmatista. Por fim, ilustramos nossos argumentos com exemplos concretos de possibilidade de mobilização de experiências estéticas através da agência em determinados games.

Twin particle projector cannons (PPCs) fizz with electricity. Jets of energized lightning pulse forward, crashing into the center torso of my prized Mech, 1 a 'Hatchetman' HCT-3 F. A brief silence holds before an ominous 'pop' and a burst of fire as the torso crumbles. I wait to hear from my star pilot and veteran of many campaigns, Stumpy, her characteristic Southern drawl a welcome balm to frequent tense encounters. Finally, Stumpy breaks radio silence. She emits a final, agonized scream as the entire Mech falls to an inglorious, incandescent demise, exploding upon the ground. Sitting now in shock, index fingers angrily scratching eyebrows, I move furiously through the WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer) interface. "That shouldn't have happened". I scan the 'Armor' and 'Structure' numbers of my deceased Mech; I ponder the likely hit percentage of such a shot; I briefly consider the enemy AI is cheating. "No… the developer is cheating!" my interior monologue self-corrects. I turn to Google for solace, typing in the

This chapter explores the ways in which the field of Game Studies helps shape popular understandings of player, play, and game, and specifically how the field alters the conceptual, linguistic, and discursive apparatuses that gamers use to contextualize, describe, and make sense of their experiences. The chapter deploys the concept of apportioned commodity fetishism to analyze the phenomena of discourse as practice, persona, the vagaries of game design, recursion, lexical formation, institutionalization, systems of self-effectiveness, theory as anti-theory, and commodification.

This article investigates the processes of group formation. Utilising a ritual framework, it looks at how the Sweden Touch (rugby) team formed and bonded together to compete in the 2022 European Championships. Based on autoethnographic data, I focus on the role of rituals in bonding players as a group within Team Sweden and with the wider Touch community, contributing to creation of the space within which matches took place. This space is analysed with Mary Douglas-derived theory of sociocultural viability. Utilising the theory's typology of social solidarities, I track the changing forms of social relations within the groups. I argue that the player-group was initially structured as an individualist network, which morphed into a hierarchical group through the actions of participants. Subsequently, an alternative egalitarian social organisation manifested among players, at times contesting the dominant social orderings. These changes are observable in the ritual activities of the player group.

Entropia Universe (EU) is a science-fiction themed massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG), with a real-cash economy. The cash economy means that players can deposit and withdraw money from the game, at a fixed exchange rate of US$1 to 10 Project Entropia Dollars (PED). This study explores the impacts of this monetisation on the collective lifeworlds of players. The study focuses on online sociality, culturally located ontologies, understandings of virtual monies, and the experience of being in a multiplayer game-world. The primary methods of investigation are participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and the discursive analysis of Entropia related forums, websites, and player created media. The study applies postphenomenological, ludological, and economic theory, in conjunction with cyberethnographic research methods, in order to analyse experiences of being in this digital capitalist space. The resultant ethnography draws together data gathered during a y...

In this paper we present Vancouver Maneuver, a game for mobile devices using Augmented Reality software to create a cooperative board game experience. Utilizing principles from both digital and analogue board game design, a hybrid game design approach is proposed in order to identify applicable mechanics. By doing so we combine the physical and social aspects of co-located tabletop gaming with the computing power and aesthetics of digital games.

The film Manhã cinzenta (1969), by Brazilian filmmaker Olney São Paulo, is a fictional documentary in a short film, which works with fictional space scenes and real elements (clipping from newspapers, movie posters, radio news, images from student marches, and police repression). As a political-artistic form of resistance to the 1964 Brazilian civil-military dictatorship, it is a manifest against authoritarian regimes, also referring to the Latin American dictatorships of 1960-1970. Based on the work of Rajewsky and Clüver, we analyzed, from the intermediate texture, the relationship between image and music, respectively, "epidermis and muscle" by Wingstedt, threads of an artistic and political texture as elements of the constitution of a multimedia body: metaphor of resistance. The film can contribute to breaking with the logic of domination-a logic that is structured by the monopoly of discourse about the past, which in current times has been trying to extinguish from history, from memory, the violent event of the Brazilian civil-military coup. For this reason, it is important to study it, due to the importance of this film as one of the most significant films about resisting, having also been a metaphor for the life of the filmmaker himself.

This paper is concerned with challenges and solutions related to the use of smartphones as a location-based mobile gaming (LBMG) platform. We present here a summary of our experiences from building a feature-rich story-driven LBMG for the Android platform. The game uses location, handset orientation and marker-less augmented reality to support its core mechanics, which in turn support a strong story line.

This paper proposes the ColabSaber Framework, which aims to change the traditional format of lecture-based classes with the use of the learning principles defended by Vygotsky, such as language, culture and social interaction. ColabSaber uses the fundamentals of Group Storytelling as educational support for elementary school students. This paper points out the importance of the collaborative construction of comic books as an intermediate support in the traditional teachinglearning process, also considering the technological advances and the ease of students in handling new technologies. As a result, the article concludes a significant improvement in the academic performance of the participating students and a motivational element of the academic engagement of the participating students.

All the contents of this work, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Todo o conteúdo deste trabalho, exceto quando houver ressalva, é publicado sob a licença Creative Commons Atribição 4.0. Todo el contenido de esta obra, excepto donde se indique lo contrario, está bajo licencia de la licencia Creative Commons Reconocimento 4.0. Uma utopia da presença situando mundos desejados nos lugares, espaços e sociedades em que vivemos

Ingestible sensors, such as capsule endoscopy and medication monitoring pills, are becoming increasingly popular in the medical domain, yet few studies have considered what experiences may be designed around ingestible sensors. We believe such sensors may create novel bodily experiences for players when it comes to digital games. To explore the potential of ingestible sensors for game designers, we designed a two-player game-the "Guts Game"-where the players play against each other by completing a variety of tasks. Each task requires the players to change their own body temperature measured by an ingestible sensor. Through a study of the Guts Game (N=14) that interviewed players about their experience, we derived four design themes: 1) Bodily Awareness, 2) Human-Computer Integration, 3) Agency, and 4) Uncomfortableness. We used the four themes to articulate a set of design strategies that designers can consider when aiming to develop engaging ingestible games. CCS Concepts •Human-centered computing → Interaction paradigms; •Applied computing → Computer games;

This chapter explores the ways in which the field of Game Studies helps shape popular understandings of player, play, and game, and specifically how the field alters the conceptual, linguistic, and discursive apparatuses that gamers use to contextualize, describe, and make sense of their experiences. The chapter deploys the concept of apportioned commodity fetishism to analyze the phenomena of discourse as practice, persona, the vagaries of game design, recursion, lexical formation, institutionalization, systems of self-effectiveness, theory as anti-theory, and commodification.

RESUMO Este estudo objetiva, por meio da pesquisa bibliográfica e do relato etnográfico, discutir o conceito de fronteira no âmbito dos larps (live action role play) desenvolvidos por palestinos e executados em países como Brasil e Finlândia, além do próprio Estado da Palestina, seja por meio de registros escritos por outros participantes, seja por meio de reflexões a partir da participação. Ainda que seja um artigo do campo da Comunicação, buscamos um quadro teórico interdisciplinar, com particular destaque para Mircea Eliade (Ciência da Religião), Carl Jung, Jacob Moreno e Donald Winnicott (Psicologia), Johan Huizinga (Ludologia), no âmbito de melhor abraçar a complexidade do tema. Dentre os achados de nosso percurso, destacamos que o larp poderia ser visto como um entre-lugar transitório, um espaço de diálogo entre o eu e o outro, entre o imaginário e o concreto, entre o subjetivo e o objetivo. Por conta disso, evidencia-se um ambiente que favorece o surgimento de processos comunicacionais entre os participantes.

Este trabalho propõe uma discussão sobre o círculo mágico, conceito bastante debatido nos últimos anos no âmbito dos jogos em geral, e em particular dos videogames. Através de um diálogo com autores dos game studies, como Johan Huizinga e Katie Salen e Eric Zimmerman, assim como com autores da psicologia cognitiva que discutem a questão da atenção, argumentamos que o círculo mágico, ao invés de separar ficção e realidade – conforme defendido por diversos autores – funciona como uma estrutura cognitiva de mediação, cuja existência ocorre de formas diferenciadas e gradativas, de acordo com a operação de processos imersivos e atencionais entre jogador e dispositivo tecnológico, neste caso o videogame.

This article deals with establishing and discussing the concept of magic circleoften present in game studies-and ponder the possible relations with the concept of liminality, worked in cultural anthropology from the rites of passage standpoint in Van Gennep and Victor Turner and with the concept of transitional phenomenon by psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott. Towards that, we seek references in studies of the respective areas of knowledge, in order to reflect on the experience of play. The establishment of the relationship between the concepts mentioned-magic circle, liminality, transitional phenomenon-takes a step forward on the path that seeks to answer what play is and its relevance in contemporary life. Thus, given the large access to digital games today, this article provides a relevant contribution to Communication studies.

In this paper we present Vancouver Maneuver, a game for mobile devices using Augmented Reality software to create a cooperative board game experience. Utilizing principles from both digital and analogue board game design, a hybrid game design approach is proposed in order to identify applicable mechanics. By doing so we combine the physical and social aspects of co-located tabletop gaming with the computing power and aesthetics of digital games.

Tento článek vznikl v rámci projektu Specifického vysokoškolského výzkumu Institutu politologických studií Fakulty sociálních věd Univerzity Karlovy, č. 260 461/2017, „Zájmy, moc a instituce v politickém rozhodování“.Using the case of the LARP One HundredYears of Solitude, based on the book by Gabriel García Márquez, this article presents the process of the game’s formation by mapping interactions leading to the constitution and upkeep of the game reality. In the description of the game’s development as a temporary autonomous network, special emphasis is put on the rise of the game’s agency. The process of LARP’s evolution is presented as a chronological action, beginning in the moment when the game is too weak to be autonomous, and follows the process of recruiting mediators as a necessary precursor to the players’ connection into the game’s network. Furthermore, the process of the players taking over recruitment activity is presented, followed by the final stage, when the game and...

Online game cheating is a rampant misbehavior in the domain of online gaming. However, there is still lack of research in attempt to understand online game cheating. Hence, this paper focuses on the available literature on cheating and gaming to explore and understand the phenomenon of online game cheating. This paper examines the frameworks of cheating and how virtual community is affected by this misbehavior. This paper also explores the concept of fairness in gaming. The implications are discussed in conclusion.

This paper proposes the ColabSaber Framework, which aims to change the traditional format of lecture-based classes with the use of the learning principles defended by Vygotsky, such as language, culture and social interaction. ColabSaber uses the fundamentals of Group Storytelling as educational support for elementary school students. This paper points out the importance of the collaborative construction of comic books as an intermediate support in the traditional teachinglearning process, also considering the technological advances and the ease of students in handling new technologies. As a result, the article concludes a significant improvement in the academic performance of the participating students and a motivational element of the academic engagement of the participating students.

In this paper we explore how mobile devices and co-location in mobile contexts contribute social play in game design, addressing the limited understanding of social interactivity in mobile games. Using the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (MDA) framework, we code four games illustrating effective use of mobile, social, and colocated elements. Subsequently, we analyse and discuss this data to identify generalisability in these games. In our discussion we identify how these findings address game design problems of designing collaborative games. Furthermore, we contribute to theory of designing for social play from the perspectives of co-located mobile contexts in game design by identifying how mobility: (1) affords co-locating with other players in public spaces, (2) supports physical interactions using spatial context and players bodies, extending games beyond their formal system, (3) supports asymmetric design with information and interaction. Finally we contribute the concept of a pocket magic circle, a particular magic circle, to support a focus on game design leveraging these intersecting properties.

Um encenador pode se servir de um texto já pronto, ou mesmo criar seu próprio texto, ou até mesmo realizar um teatro apenas físico: Ele aplica suas idéias e testa a sua realização durante os ensaios. Algumas ideias serão realizadas por completo, outras serão descartadas, e outras sofrerão modificações na sua aplicação na realidade. Após o término da existência do espetáculo, essas ideias se propagarão de alguma forma na memória dos espectadores e participantes, e também na sua reverberação através da recepção dos próprios documentos relativos ao espetáculo, como fotos, filmes, etc. Assim, podemos pensar em termos de ideias, e mais especificamente em termos de uma história das ideias, a constituição do fenômeno teatral. Para isso, se faz necessário uma explicação sobre o que significa esse conceito, de história das ideias: A história das ideias é um campo de pesquisa da história que lida com a expressão, preservação e mudança nas ideias humanas ao longo do tempo. É através do estudo do comportamento das ideias e o seu desenvolvimento, que pretendo refletir sobre a historiografia do teatro, e sua contribuição para a teoria da história. O trabalho do sociólogo alemão Karl Mannheim, Ideologia e Utopia, busca compreender como as ideias influenciam e são influenciadas pela realidade. Para Mannheim, é notável a existência de ideias até então não concretizadas na realidade, que transcendam uma dada realidade. Essas ideias não se encaixam no mundo real, e podem contribuir para transformá-lo. Existiriam então as

El metajuego y la subversión de la narrativa tradicional en The Stanley Parable Laksmy Irigoyen Regueiro * RESUMEN: The Stanley Parable es un ejemplo magistral de metajuego, por medio del cual se realiza una reflexión paródica sobre el lenguaje videolúdico y su diferencia con la narrativa tradicional. Con este artículo se pretende llevar a cabo una aproximación al tema central de este título-el metajuego y la interactividad del jugador-, partiendo para ello de la teoría de los frames ontológicos y de la constitución del Círculo Mágico a través de estos. De esta manera, comprobaremos como se produce un constante cambio de marco de realidad por medio de la voz del Narrador, mediante lo cual podemos observar la dicotomía jugador/personaje, marcada por la agencia.

Intermediality can be defined as the phenomenon in which a work of art appropriates the linguistic resources of two or more media, resulting in something that is potentially new and initially difficult to classify. The understanding of this exchange can be useful to authors who seek to overcome the traditional limits of a particular language, art form or medium. This paper sought to investigate the bibliography on this subject to primarily understand how games present themselves as a complex form of media and then draw parallels that can initiate a bridge between the intermediality theory and the study of contemporary interactive media. For this purpose, the electronic game Final Fantasy VII (1997) and its spin-offs were analyzed and from them, examples of how intermediality is applied to the franchise. Through this brief analysis, it becomes clear how videogames have the ability to absorb other media, referencing, transposing and combining them to

Intermediality can be defined as the phenomenon in which a work of art appropriates the linguistic resources of two or more media, resulting in something that is potentially new and initially difficult to classify. The understanding of this exchange can be useful to authors who seek to overcome the traditional limits of a particular language, art form or medium. This paper sought to investigate the bibliography on this subject to primarily understand how games present themselves as a complex form of media and then draw parallels that can initiate a bridge between the intermediality theory and the study of contemporary interactive media. For this purpose, the electronic game Final Fantasy VII (1997) and its spin-offs were analyzed and from them, examples of how intermediality is applied to the franchise. Through this brief analysis, it becomes clear how videogames have the ability to absorb other media, referencing, transposing and combining them to

ABSTRACT: Principles for organizing and making use of a laboratory with material computing resources are articulated. This laboratory, the Trope Tank, is a facility for teaching, research, and creative collaboration and offers hardware (in working condition and set up for use) from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, including videogame systems, home computers, and an arcade cabinet. To aid in investigating the material history of texts, the lab has a small 19th century letterpress, a typewriter, a print terminal, and dot-matrix printers. Other resources include controllers, peripherals, manuals, books, and software on physical media. These resources are used for teaching, loaned for local exhibitions and presentations, and accessed by researchers and artists. The space is primarily a laboratory (rather than a library, studio, or museum), so materials are organized by platform and intended use. Textual information about the historical contexts of the available systems, and resources are se...

Approaching poker in terms of storytelling, both the stories told about the game and the stories told within the game, this chapter works to establish a connection between poker and fictionality, connecting poker with the (i) construction of alternate realities (bluff) and (ii) reading in the attempts of players to reconcile these divergent possible storyworlds with the actual world. In making this argument the chapter will draw on, and explicate, possible worlds theory as inflected through the work of narrative theory (Doležel 1998; Ryan 2006; Walton 1990), work on counterfactual narratives (Dannenberg 2008; Dohrn 2009), and work on fictionality/make believe (Vaihinger 2001; Walsh 2007; Walton 1990).

Principles for organizing and making use of a laboratory with material computing resources are articulated. This laboratory, the Trope Tank, is a facility for teaching, research, and creative collaboration and offers hardware (in working condition and set up for use) from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, including videogame systems, home computers, and an arcade cabinet. To aid in investigating the material history of texts, the lab has a small 19th century letterpress, a typewriter, a print terminal, and dot-matrix printers. Other resources include controllers, peripherals, manuals, books, and software on physical media. These resources are used for teaching, loaned for local exhibitions and presentations, and accessed by researchers and artists. The space is primarily a laboratory (rather than a library, studio, or museum), so materials are organized by platform and intended use. Textual information about the historical contexts of the available systems, and resources are set up to allow easy operation, and even casual use, by researchers, teachers, students, and artists.

There is an interesting category of digital games particularly challenging consumer electronics: pervasive games. On the one hand, pervasive games appear extremely promising for purposes such as learning and for encouraging players to engage in healthy outdoor activities. They widen the horizon of games content by direct access to reality. On the other hand, a larger number of pervasive games failed badly bearing abundant evidence for the need of better understanding the essentials of pervasive games and of the experience in playing them. The authors have developed not only a single pervasive game concept, but a whole family of concepts quite suitable for systematically challenging consumer electronics aiming at a wide spectrum of effects ranging from amusement to game-based learning.

Pervasive games form a problematic digital games category. On the one hand, they appear extremely promising for purposes such as learning and for encouraging players to engage in healthy outdoor activities. They widen the horizon of game contents by direct access to reality. On the other hand, a larger number of pervasive games failed badly bearing abundant evidence for the need of better understanding the essentials of pervasive games and of the experiences in playing pervasively. Hierarchies of pervasive games reveal strengths and weaknesses of those games and allow for partially ordering pervasive games. Storyboarding is an appropriate technology for the representation of several essentials characterizing experiences of game play. ALIENS ON THE BUS is some novel pervasive game to illuminate the reach of the storyboarding approach to games classification.

Pervasive games form a problematic digital games category. On the one hand, they appear extremely promising for purposes such as learning and for encouraging players to engage in healthy outdoor activities. They widen the horizon of game contents by direct access to reality. On the other hand, a larger number of pervasive games failed badly bearing abundant evidence for the need of better understanding the essentials of pervasive games and of the experiences in playing pervasively. Hierarchies of pervasive games reveal strengths and weaknesses of those games and allow for partially ordering pervasive games. Storyboarding is an appropriate technology for the representation of several essentials characterizing experiences of game play. ALIENS ON THE BUS is some novel pervasive game to illuminate the reach of the storyboarding approach to games classification.

Mundos virtuais e identidade social: processos de formação e mediação através da lógica do jogo Resumo: O presente artigo pretende discutir o processo de formação de identidades sociais online nos 'mundos virtuais'-nossa hipótese é a de que a presença do que Salen e Zimmerman (2003) chamam de 'círculo mágico' exerça uma força mediadora que singulariza o processo de criação de identidades sociais, de modo a tornar tal particularização algo digno de atenção pelos estudos da cibercultura.

The creation of games and good reception by the public, either through commercial success, good critics or just to cause enjoyment on players. Rarely such a feat is accomplished casually; the iteration of the prototyping and testing stages in the development of a game generates the core around which every aspect of the game design stage will revolve. The concepts regarding the feeling of fun and immersion may help the development of new and captivating experiences in games. In this paper some of the current theories will be explored, focusing on the theories of Flow, the Magic Circle and the PENS theory among others which address player motivation and the creation of compelling games.

Popular online computer games, like World of Warcraft, are full-fledged virtual worlds brimming with ancient religious narratives, mystical worldviews and magical powers. Nevertheless, they are rarely discussed in sociological debates about religion. Online gaming may temporarily invoke a 'willing suspension of disbelief' but it can, given the fictitious nature of the text, never counter the secularization or disenchantment of Western culture. In this essay it is argued that the emphasis on (dis)belief in sociology creates a blind spot for 'play' as an important epistemological strategy to engage with religion. The ambivalent and transgressive nature of play, it is demonstrated, provides the opportunity for young players of World of Warcraft to experience spirituality without necessarily believing in supernatural claims; to fully immerse themselves in the 'magic circle' without conversion to a pre-defined set of beliefs and to freely experiment with religious narratives without becoming a true believer.

This chapter considers the process of online social identity construction and how it is presented in virtual worlds-environments that although carrying a solid heritage of the pure online interaction tools, such as chat rooms, are still organized around a very specific logic, portraying objectives and structural repetition dynamics inherent to the game as a system. We posit that the presence of what is called the 'magic circle' by Salen and Zimmerman (2004) exerts a mediating power, not only by circling, limiting the game environment, but specially by transforming social identities formations processes, attaching it not only to the dynamics built in by the contact with technology-in the form of computer-mediated communication-but also in particular to the dynamics imprinted by the game structure present in such worlds. The whereabouts of play There is a certain agreement in the study of various aspects of media when it comes to considering the spheres of work and play. As Yee (2006) has coherently pointed out, these activities remain conceptualized as separate poles of the same dichotomy. Such framing has received wide support, along the course of history, figuring also in the ideas of some of the classic game theorists: Huizinga (1955) and Caillois (2001), for instance, believed that in order to play a game, the individual has to consciously step outside 'normal life' (Huizinga 1955) and voluntarily engage in an activity considered 'not serious'-suppressing both time and space. This place in space and time in which the play activity happens received a thorough theoretical treatment-and a proper terminology-when Salen and Zimmerman (2004) published their treatise on the general analysis and development of the constitutive processes of the game. Salen and Zimmerman (2004) inspired by a passage in Huizinga's classic Homo Ludens utilize the term the 'magic circle' to identify and describe where the essence of play is located. According to the authors: Although the magic circle is merely one of the examples in Huizinga's list of 'play-grounds,' the term is used here as shorthand for the idea of a special place in time and space created by a game. The fact that the magic circle is

Agon, alea, mimicry, ilinx: the four types of game/play distinguished by Roger Caillois (1958/2001) have become classic terms in game studies. Now Artur Skweres is aiming at introducing Caillois’ concepts to film studies, and he is proposing two new categories to deepen his analysis: óneiros and pragma. This small book is definitely not a systematic treatise but it can still offer fresh conceptual and theoretical insights to game studies scholars.