The Scope and Rules of the Magic Circle

As a concept that separates the game world from reality, the magic circle also has scope and rules. The scope of the magic circle includes both spatial and temporal dimensions.

At any given moment, the things inside and outside the spatial scope of the magic circle have different meanings. For example, if we are sitting around a table, holding playing cards, we are players in the game, and the outcome of this game is meaningful to us. Those standing by the table, watching, are spectators, and their actions do not affect the game. This is the spatial scope of the magic circle.

at the computer and press keys on the keyboard while working, for instance, writing an article or using a search engine, the meanings of the “W”, “A”, “S”, and “D” keys are their corresponding letters or their pinyin in Chinese. However, in a game, these keys transcend their real-world meanings and become tools for controlling the character in the game. It is the magic circle that imparts these objects with special meanings beyond the real world.

When analysing the temporal and spatial scope of the magic circle, we can clearly perceive that the magic circle not only gives objects new meanings based on the real world but can even break people’s usual understanding, redefining objects within the magic circle. For example, as of October 2023, the world record for the men’s high jump is held by Cuban athlete Javier Sotomayor, who set the record at 2.45 meters on July 27, 1993. This means that in the real world, the human high jump limit is about 1.5 times a person’s height.

However, in games, especially platformer games, the character controlled by the player can often easily jump several times their height. For example, in Super Mario Bros., released in 1985, the protagonist Mario’s maximum jump height is approximately four times the character’s height.

In some games, players even have the ability to exceed physical limits and perform multiple jumps in mid-air. For example, in Metroid, released in 1986, the protagonist Samus can obtain a special double jump ability. In martial arts games, the concept of “lightness kung fu” makes the jumping ability of characters even more exaggerated and free. For instance, in The Legend of the Condor Heroes Online (九阴真经OL), players can use triple jumps or dash in mid-air using the “Cloud Piercing” skill.

Whether it’s Mario’s jumping height or Samus’s aerial jumping ability, these actions, which are almost impossible in the real world, are completely accepted in the game, and we even take these abilities for granted. These superhuman jumping abilities are rules created by the magic circle in games. It is the existence of the magic circle that makes us accept these seemingly illogical rules.