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Abstract
This essay investigates the evolving notion of fair play through the lens of game classification, with a focus on the boundary between permitted and forbidden games. Building on Wittgenstein’s concept of language games and Roger Caillois’s taxonomy, the analysis adopts a socio-semiotic and philosophical-linguistic perspective to show how this boundary reflects cultural negotiations and power relations rather than objective criteria.
Gambling and sports are explored as emblematic domains where fairness is undermined by manipulative designs, market-driven narratives, and shifting ideological frameworks. The legalization of gambling, despite promoting fairness and transparency, often conceals systems of cognitive asymmetry and predatory logic. In the sporting arena, the rise of a Machiavellian “winning mindset” – exemplified by Nike’s Winning Isn’t for Everyone campaign and the Enhanced Games’ push for legal doping – signals a cultural shift that challenges traditional ideals of fair play and ethical competition.
The essay contends that fair play is not a stable norm but a symbolic and ideological battleground where the meaning of fairness is constantly renegotiated across social, economic, and linguistic domains. By analyzing how semiotic strategies, inclusive rhetoric, and technological enhancements reshape public ethics and the figure of the player, the essay underscores the urgency of rethinking fairness in the age of performance, spectacle, and digital capitalism.