| Title | Vertiginous Play: Debating "Fun" with the Diplomacy Wives Club |
| Presenter(s) | Aaron Trammell |
| Session | Conference Reception, Game Exhibition, and Poster Session |
| Time | Thursday, October 16, 7:00p-10:00p |
| Location | Ballroom |
| Format | Poster Presentation |
| Description | This poster draws on archival evidence to explore debates around the term "fun." Specifically it uses fanzines from the Ray Browne Popular Culture Library to explore the politics of the term in the 1960s Diplomacy fan community. This research suggests that instances of off-color language can be read as a form of vertiginous play, which works both to refine and construct the boundaries of the play space. Furthermore, this paper explores avenues of resistance, such as the Diplomacy Wives Club, that raised fundamental questions about who was allowed to participate in the "fun" of Diplomacy. Ultimately this paper argues that fun has never been a neutral concept, and that it must be understood for its embeddedness within larger structures of power. |
