Games and players, a union, a closed system, a state machine. Games yield numerous affordances; ranging from narrative and exploration to interaction with other players. Each one of them is materialized within the game world; a mutual make-believe convention that players acknowledge by “entering” the game world; thus, it is crucial to distinguish the game part that marks the players' common admission of the game boundaries. From an outward to inward perspective the first thing that separate games from reality are the boundaries of the game world. Huizinga compared these boundaries with a thin-layered glass dome within which all the “playful” contents of a game coexist harmoniously. The magic circle is formulated by the totality of game dynamics as determined by the mechanics and rules of the game system itself. This fine line defines the boundaries of the game world. Despite the fact that Huizinga's paradigm seems sound in its conception, it does not fully capture the entire range of boundaries and their applications within games. Playing a game indicates player interaction with a state machine. Games offer particular states which may be altered by players’ interaction through achieving goals or encountered challenges. Although game states are temporary, their duration is highly affected by players’ handling. This interchange of players’ actions and their effect upon the game states constitutes the foundation of player-game communication and embodies the common admission of the game boundaries. The contribution of this research is to further examine through a designer’s lens, the relationship and communication of two worlds; the game world and reality. The means that players communicate with the game as a machine (components, NPCs, other players, etc.) opposing to the way that the game communicates with reality. The present game analysis research focuses on the formulation of a boundary classification framework and their affordances on the impact of communication of game and players; aiming towards an alternative approach to games as state machines and the potentialities provided for player-game communication.


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