The paper provides philosophical and anthropological analysis of the play element phenomenon in crime fiction. It was shown that the play element is a significant component of the culture of Modernity and Postmodernity, which includes the reality of role­playing in texts, in particular, of the crime fiction genre. This literary work features various games played by the author, recipient, heroes, actors, playing their parts of heroes and the text itself. The play element in serial, formulaic

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... s performs an important anthropological compensatory function, since it assists a contemporary person in meeting their needs of balancing and adjusting their mental state, understanding their inner world, that is to perform self­analysis and self­control; find their role not only in the imaginary crime fiction world, but also in the reality. These opportunities are determined by the fact that a game always implies entering an agreement, systematization, establishing rules to be followed by all the players. In a quality detective story fair play is guaranteed to the addressee by the addresser. Therewith, it is found out that the text performs an entertaining function, enabling a modern person to open secrets, be delighted from recognizing familiar plots and elements, in other words, to win and improve the recipient's self­esteem. The success of the suggested detective role­playing is a vital factor of the overall culture development.