European Journal of Communication 0(0) 1–16 © The Author(s) 2012 Reprints and permission: sagepub. co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0267323112452832 ejc.sagepub.com The radio plays games Graz ˙yna Stachyra Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Poland Abstract This article analyses the play-element of radio communication, based on examples taken from Poland’s commercial radio stations. The theoretical framework is provided by Roger Caillois’s distinction of four types of games (agôn, alea, mimicry, ilinx) that stretch between two poles: spontaneity (paidia) and rules (ludus). The article illustrates how different kinds of radio games exist on the air and the type of communicational function they have in modern society. Keywords Communication, games, mimicry, play-element, radio Introduction: Theoretical background and research area The main aim of this article is to present an outline of the game-playing element that has become an important part of modern radio communication. The play-element (often called ludic) and its cultural importance was a matter of interest for such prominent fig- ures as Johan Huizinga (2003) and Roger Caillois (2001), though they did not connect it to the mass media. On the other hand, the role of media in everyday life was raised by Paddy Scannell (1996). All of these authors seem important in discussing the given issue; however, the theoretical framework offered by Caillois seems most inspiring and there- fore was chosen as a model for this study. He set out four categories of games/play 1 (Caillois, 2001: 12): • agôn (competition) – means games based on rivalry, where equal chances are the starting point and the result depends on training, intelligence, etc. (examples: chess, tennis, football etc.); • alea (chance) – includes games in which winning does not depend on the player’s skills, but is based on pure luck (i.e. dice, domino, some card games, etc.); Corresponding author: Graz ˙ yna Stachyra, Department of Social Communication at the Faculty of Political Science, UMCS Lublin (Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin), pl. Litewski 3 Lublin, 20-080, Poland. Email: gstachyra70@gmail.com 452832EJC 0 0 10.1177/0267323112452832StachyraEuropean Journal of Communication 2012 Article