---
id: wiki-2026-0508-magic-circle
title: Magic Circle
category: 10_Wiki/Topics
status: verified
canonical_id: self
aliases: [Magic Circle, Huizinga Magic Circle, Game Frame]
duplicate_of: none
source_trust_level: A
confidence_score: 0.9
verification_status: applied
tags: [game-theory, philosophy, salen-zimmerman, huizinga]
raw_sources: []
last_reinforced: 2026-05-10
github_commit: pending
tech_stack:
  language: typescript
  framework: none
---

# Magic Circle

## 매 한 줄
> **"매 game 의 매 voluntary entered 의 매 separate reality"**. 매 1938 Huizinga 'Homo Ludens' coinage → 매 2003 Salen-Zimmerman 'Rules of Play' 의 매 game-design canonization → 매 2024 metaverse / VR 의 매 boundary-blur 의 매 contemporary debate. 매 'inside ≠ outside' 의 매 philosophical container.

## 매 핵심

### 매 정의 (Salen-Zimmerman)
- 매 player 의 매 voluntary entry.
- 매 internal rules ≠ external reality 의 매 separation.
- 매 temporary / spatial 의 매 boundedness.

### 매 boundary type
- **Spatial**: 매 board / arena / VR space.
- **Temporal**: 매 match-clock / session.
- **Conceptual**: 매 IP-rule / 매 'pretend' frame.

### 매 응용
1. 매 LARP 의 매 explicit boundary ritual.
2. 매 Among Us 의 매 'meeting' reset 의 magic-circle pulse.
3. 매 ARG 의 매 deliberate boundary-blur (TINAG = This Is Not A Game).

## 💻 패턴

### Magic-circle state model
```typescript
enum CircleState { Outside, Entering, Inside, Exiting }

interface PlayerSession {
  id: string;
  state: CircleState;
  enteredAt: number | null;
  rulesContext: 'social' | 'game';
}

function enterCircle(s: PlayerSession): PlayerSession {
  if (s.state !== CircleState.Outside) return s;
  return { ...s, state: CircleState.Inside, enteredAt: Date.now(), rulesContext: 'game' };
}

function exitCircle(s: PlayerSession): PlayerSession {
  return { ...s, state: CircleState.Outside, enteredAt: null, rulesContext: 'social' };
}
```

### Rule-context switcher
```typescript
type Action = { kind: 'kill' | 'steal' | 'lie' | 'cooperate' };

function isPermitted(a: Action, ctx: 'social' | 'game'): boolean {
  if (ctx === 'game') return true; // 매 inside circle: 매 rules 의 game's
  return a.kind === 'cooperate';
}
```

### Bleed-detection (LARP)
```typescript
interface PlayerEmotion { inGame: number; outGame: number; }
function bleedScore(e: PlayerEmotion): number {
  return Math.abs(e.inGame - e.outGame);
}
```

### TINAG / ARG boundary obfuscation
```typescript
interface ARGEvent { channel: 'phone' | 'website' | 'realLetter' | 'inGame'; diegetic: boolean; }
function isMagicCircleBlurred(events: ARGEvent[]): boolean {
  const realChannels = events.filter(e => e.channel !== 'inGame' && e.diegetic);
  return realChannels.length / events.length > 0.3;
}
```

### Consent-gate
```typescript
interface ConsentForm { physicalContact: boolean; emotionalIntensity: 'low' | 'medium' | 'high'; safeWord: string; }
function canEnterCircle(form: ConsentForm): boolean {
  return form.safeWord.length > 0;
}
```

## 매 결정 기준
| 상황 | Approach |
|---|---|
| Competitive multiplayer | Strict spatial+temporal circle |
| LARP / immersive | Pre-game ritual + safe-word + bleed-management |
| ARG | Deliberate boundary-blur + ethical guard-rail |
| F2P mobile | Lighter circle — 매 monetization cross-boundary |

**기본값**: Explicit entry+exit ritual + 매 safe-word — 매 ethics-first design.

## 🔗 Graph
- 부모: [[Game Theory]] · [[Huizinga Homo Ludens]]
- 변형: [[Lusory Attitude]] · [[TINAG (This Is Not A Game)]]
- 응용: [[LARP]] · [[Among Us]] · [[Alternate Reality Game]]
- Adjacent: [[Procedural Rhetoric (In Gaming)]] · [[Player-Experience-Modeling]] · [[Gamification-Theory]]

## 🤖 LLM 활용
**언제**: game-design philosophy, LARP boundary modeling, ARG narrative design.
**언제 X**: 매 deep ethnographic field study (researcher-led).

## ❌ 안티패턴
- **No exit ritual**: 매 bleed accumulation 의 매 player burnout.
- **Forced TINAG**: 매 player consent 의 X — 매 ethical breach.
- **Monetization breach**: 매 P2W 의 매 in-game value 의 out-of-game money 의 매 seepage.

## 🧪 검증 / 중복
- Verified (Huizinga 1938, Salen-Zimmerman 2003 'Rules of Play', Stenros 2014).
- 신뢰도 A.

## 🕓 Changelog
| 날짜 | 변경 |
|---|---|
| 2026-05-08 | Phase 1 |
| 2026-05-10 | Manual cleanup — magic-circle theory + state model |
