Practices of Negotiation: Fun and Seriousness in Popular Video Games

The distinction between entertainment and serious content is still very present in the European society, which especially applies to the sector of video games. Although video games got integrated in higher culture through their connection to art, literature and as a medium for political critique, the popular ones remain unnoticed when it is about to offer more than just fun and entertainment. The relatively new category of „serious games“ approves this proposition in contrast to the lack of genres like „serious books“ or „serious films“. This paper analyses game design aspects of popular video games that break Huizinga’s Magic Circle by changing the frame of interpretation and thereby initialize a critical dialog between the players. Accordingly, it contrasts strategies of artistic/political games with strategies of popular games to open up a discussion about their potential of activating a gaming community that reflects real life issues.