This article presents a critical review (not a rejection) of the concept of “ergodic literature”when applied to computer and video games. Therefore it goes back to some ofthe sources Espen Aarseth triggered when he appropriated the term from physics in1997 for the subject of cybertext and explains the necessary consequences of the term“ergodicity” for literature and games when it is not merely used metaphorically. A morecautious use of terms and concepts from other disciplines is suggested, especially as theterm “ergodic” in physics has a different but relevant meaning in the context of thesegames. The article tries to mediate between some of the general anthropological claimsof cybertext theory/game studies and the understanding of “ergodic systems” in thermodynamics and statistical physics. The problems that result from this mediation can beseen as symptomatic for the challenges of game studies in the more general mediationbetween different perspectives on games.
(Source: Author's abstract)