# ‘Playing war’: Norwegian soldiers’ experiences of fun and responsibility in Afghanistan

## TL;DR

This paper explores how Norwegian soldiers in Afghanistan experienced fun during war and how it relates to their sense of responsibility.

## Contribution

It challenges Western moral views by showing how fun in war can be seen as ordinary and fleeting.

## Key findings

- Fun in war can be experienced as ordinary and commonsensical.
- Soldiers' experiences are shaped by context, temporality, and their sense of responsibility.
- The concept of fun in war is also seen as ephemeral and immature.

## Abstract

This article discusses Norwegian soldiers’ experiences of fun in Afghanistan and probes the meaning of this experience and its condition of possibility. Challenging Western moralities of war, it shows that ‘fun in war’ can be experienced and represented as ordinary and commonsensical, but also ephemeral and immature. Moving beyond normative and functionalist approaches, it specifically highlights the importance of context, temporality, and soldiers’ sense of responsibility and innocence.