Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

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David Kotkin, more commonly known as David Copperfield, was the world’s highest-paid magician in 2017; his net worth is over $850 million (Cuccinello). It is impossible to become as successful as him without providing a good or service that is in high demand. In his case, he provides illusions. People enjoy and will pay in order to be deceived, and that is why magicians are in business. However, it does not require a magician to become enthralled by illusions. Illusions are a common coping device used by the masses in order to divert attention from the toils of reality and ease the pain of imperfection. All four characters of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf use illusions in differing ways in an attempt to suppress the agony they experience in their lives whether it be regretfulness, powerlessness, or lovelessness; however, they all come to realize that a life full of illusions is not necessarily a life worth living.

This aspect of the coordination between games and living with illusions is a major characteristic of Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? and is introduced by the game that George calls Humiliate The Host. Although taking the role of game designer throughout a majority of the novel, Martha leads the charge...

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