o:7727 Political ludology - the aporias of ontological discrepancy between game and politics Politička ludologija – aporije ontološkog nesklada između igre i politike en sr Abstract: The paper explores the concept of political ludology by analyzing the aporias of the ontological discrepancy between games and politics in the context of video games. Although video games belong to the corpus of fiction and simulation, they simultaneously generate significant political implications, shaping perceptions of power, identity, and responsibility. The paper problematizes the way video games function as spaces for political narratives, moral dilemmas, and existential questions, questioning the boundaries between games as free, autonomous spaces and politics as an organized order of power and obligations. The opening chapter analyzes what is political in political video games and how political elements in video games seemingly converge with the eternally given and unchanging ludological concepts of games. By exploring moral dilemmas and responsibilities, the author questions how political video games place players in moral choices and how these choices impact subjective responsibility. The focus is on the ethics of decision-making, the boundaries of free will, and the ways in which the player, through interactive experience, becomes a political subject. The author also examines the paradox of freedom in video games, contrasting "freedom from" the video game with "freedom for" the player, arguing that the latter is merely a permission, an illusion offered by the creators. It analyzes how the concept of political freedom is translated into the ludological system of rules and mechanics, and to what extent the player can transcend these boundaries. The concluding chapter raises the question of the ontological status of the video game in relation to reality. It discusses whether the political dimension of a game remains confined to the realm of fiction or has the ability to transform the player's perception of the real political order. The paper addresses the boundary between simulation and reality, as well as the potential of video games to redefine political discourse beyond their virtual sphere. Sažetak: Rad istražuje koncept političke ludologije analizirajući aporije ontološkog nesklada između igre i politike u kontekstu video igara. Iako video igre pripadaju korpusu fikcije i simulacije, one istovremeno generišu značajne političke implikacije, oblikujući percepciju moći, identiteta i odgovornosti. Rad problematizuje način na koji video igre funkcionišu kao prostor političkih narativa, moralnih dilema i egzistencijalnih pitanja, preispitujući granice između igre kao slobodnog, autonomnog prostora i politike kao uređenog poretka moći i obaveza. Početno poglavlje analizira šta je političko u političkim video igrama i kako politički elementi u video igrama konvergiraju, naizgled, zauvek datim i nepromenjivim ludološkim konceptima igre. Istražujući moralne dileme i odgovornosti, autor propituje kako političke video igre stavljaju igrače pred moralne izbore i kako ti izbori utiču na subjektivnu odgovornost. Fokus je na etici odlučivanja, granicama slobodne volje i načinima na koje igrač kroz interaktivno iskustvo postaje politički subjekt. Autor razmatra i paradoks slobode u video igrama, suprotstavljajući “slobodu od” video igre, “slobodi za” igrača, dokazujući da je ova druga samo dozvola koju, kao iluziju, kreatori nude igraču. Analizira se kako se koncept političke slobode prevodi u ludološki sistem pravila i mehanika, i u kojoj meri igrač može prevazići te granice. Zaključno poglavlje postavlja pitanje ontološkog statusa video igre u odnosu na stvarnost. Razmatra se da li politička dimenzija igre ostaje zatvorena u okvir fikcije ili ima sposobnost da preobrazi igračevu percepciju realnog političkog poretka. Diskutuje se o granici između simulacije i stvarnosti, kao i o potencijalu video igara da redefinišu politički diskurs izvan svoje virtualne sfere. Keywords: video games, ludology, politics, ethics, freedom Ključne reči: video igre, ludologija, politika, etika, sloboda 1552099 10.51738/kpolisa.2025.1r.005 1552101 1820-4589 2025-05-30T10:47:50.885Z 44 yes 46 Aleksandar Filipović Pravni fakultet za privredu i pravosuđe u Novom Sadu, Univerzitet Privredna akademija u Novom Sadu, SrbijaThe Faculty of Law for Commerce and Judiciary in Novi Sad, The University of Business Academy in Novi Sad, Serbia person 0000-0002-1097-2079 application/pdf 313549 https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:7727 no yes 16 70 1552253 211A01 Kultura polisa 22 1 64 87 2025