My thesis is that illusion of choice can be used to mask linearity in interactive experiences and I demonstrate how this is done in Final Fantasy VII. I address the role of the player where it is demonstrated that all of Final Fantasy VII’s textuality is transmitted through the same process, called the magic cycle, which technically makes all aspects of the text equal. However, I argue that the structure of Final Fantasy VII has a dual nature with non-linear aspects (i.e. the player is presented with choices) as well as linear aspects (i.e. the player has no possibility to fork the script). The linear aspects are bound to the story-progression and due to top-down knowledge the player can know which these are. The player ‘enters’ the magic circle (i.e. cognitive frame) of the game and accepts its rules and limitations, yet, even though she might know better does not feel constrained and chooses to perform empty gestures which ultimately are just a confirmation of her volition to move the story forwards. She does so because of emotions elicited by the storyline that make her feel as though her actions mattered. The linear aspects of Final Fantasy VII are masked by the illusion of choice where the player chooses from only one presented option which in itself is not really a choice yet does not feel constrained due to the fact that this one choice is the choice she wants to pursue. The text, Final Fantasy VII, is important to my thesis as it does not present variation regarding the plot yet is inherently interactive since it is a video game, i.e. an interactive experience. The player has to constantly make choices which, on a certain level, have consequences but the game’s design allows it to still follow the plot in a sequential predetermined and predictable way. A player unaware of the game’s inherent structure and unaware of the points presented in this thesis might not be able to fathom the constraints of the game. However, as I point out in this thesis, even knowledge of my theory and the game’s structure might not alter the player’s perception of the game, i.e. she might not feel constrained even if she knows she is. My reading of the text relates to how choices (i.e. non-linearity) and aspects where the player has no choice (i.e. linearity) work together as well as how they relate to the player.