Overview: Implementing Educational Role-playing Games

Transformative Game Design 2

Overview: Implementing Educational Role-playing Games

Unit 4 Overview

In Unit 4, we will discuss considerations when implementing role-playing games for educational purposes. We will look at a wide variety of educational role-playing games, including in youth work, higher education, primary/secondary education, business, military, and activism/politics. We will also discuss assessment.

In this Unit, we will cover:

Accounts of implementation of role-playing games in formal, non-formal, and informal education
Formative and summative assessment
Implementation recommendations

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Note: Some of the materials below may not be available outside of this course. We are providing them as part of your education within this course. Do not distribute PDFs.

Optional materials:

Readings:

Bandhoesingh, Angie. 2024. “Roleplaying with Kids: Creating Transformative Experiences for Children Under 12 – Angie Bandhoesingh.” Transformative Play Initiative. YouTube, February 23.
Geneuss, Katrin. 2022. “To Play or Not to Play: Edu-Larp in Curricular Settings – Katrin Geneuss.” Transformative Play Initiative. YouTube, April 8.
Romanenko, Kateryna. 2024. “Facilitation of Educational RPGs w Kateryna Romanenko (CARE project). ” ASNU Scienze Naturali. YouTube, July 17.
Whitton, Nicola. 2014. Digital Games and Learning. Routledge: London. (Selections: p. 104-108)

Videos:

Westborg, Josefin. 2023. “Implementation for Education.” Transformative Play Initiative. YouTube, January 26.
Geneuss, Katrin. 2021. “The Use of the Role-playing Technique STARS in Formal Didactic Contexts.” International Journal of Role-Playing 11: 114-131.
Westborg, Josefin. 2023. “Assessment.” Transformative Play Initiative. YouTube, January 26.

Recommended materials:

Readings:

Youth Work:

Fey, James, Ella Dagan, Elena Márquez Segura, and Katherine Isbister. 2022. “Anywear Academy: A Larp-based Camp to Inspire Computational Interest in Middle School Girls.” In Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS ’22), June 13–17, 2022, Virtual Event, Australia. ACM, New York, NY, USA.
Hoge, Mark. 2013. “Experiential Learning for Youth Through Larps and RPGs.” In The Wyrd Con Companion Book 2013, edited by Sarah Lynne Bowman and Aaron Vanek, 38-41. Los Angeles, CA: Wyrd Con.
Juustila, Merli. 2019. “Designing Larp for Children.” In Larp Design: Creating Role-play Experiences, edited by Johanna Koljonen, Jaakko Stenros, Anne Serup Grove, Aina D. Skjønsfjell and Elin Nilsen, 184-190. Copenhagen, Denmark: Landsforeningen Bifrost.
Misje, Harald, Martin Nielsen & Anita Myhre Andersen. “Larping in Lebanon: Introducing Nordic Children’s Larp to Palestinian Refugee Kids.” In The Cutting Edge of Nordic Larp, edited by Jon Back, 93-101. Denmark: Knutpunkt.
Pohjola, Mike. 2022. “Pimp My Magic School – Mike Pohjola.” Nordic Larp Talks. YouTube, September 21.
Westborg, Josefin, Anders Berner, Kol Ford, and Mike Pohjola. 2020. “Solmukohta 2020: 500 Magic Schools for Children and Youth.” Nordic Larp Talks. YouTube, April 10.

Primary and Secondary Schools:

Algayres, Muriel. 2018. “A Study of Active Learning in Educational Roleplaying Games and Students’ Motivation.” Proceedings from the TAL2018 Conference, 24-32, Syddansk University.
Bowman, Sarah Lynne, and Andhe Standiford. 2015. “Educational Larp in the Middle School Classroom: A Mixed Method Case Study.” International Journal of Role-Playing 5: 4-25.
Cullinan, Maryanne. 2024. “Surveying the Perspectives of Middle and High School Educators Who Use Role-Playing Games As Pedagogy.” International Journal of Role-Playing 15 (June): 127-41.
Harder, Sanne. 2007. “Confessions of a Schoolteacher: Experiences with Role-playing in Education.” In Lifelike, edited by Jesper Donnis, Morten Gade, and Line Thorup, 228-235. Copenhagen, Denmark: Projektgruppen KP07.
Heath, Carl. 2013. “Fitting Into the Frame: Larp in Formal Educational Environments.” In Crossing Habitual Borders, edited by Karete Jacobsen Meland and Katrine Øverlie Svela, 18-25. Oslo, Norway: Fantasiforbundet.
Mochocki, Michał. 2014. “Larping the Past: Research Report on High-School Edu-Larp.” In The Wyrd Con Companion Book 2014, edited by Sarah Lynne Bowman. Los Angeles, CA: Wyrd Con.
Mochocki, Michał, and Lukasz Wrona. 2013. “DEMOcracy Project. Larp in Civic Education.” KOLA Larp Conference 2013.
Schmit, Wagner Luiz, João Batista Martins, and Thales Ferreira. 2009. “Role-playing Games and Education in Brazil: How We Do It.” In Larp, the Universe, and Everything, edited by Matthijs Holter, Eirik Fatland, and Even Tømte, 75-96.
Westborg, Josefin. 2019. “How to Run Edularp.” In Larp Design: Creating Role-play Experiences, edited by Johanna Koljonen, Jaakko Stenros, Anne Serup Grove, Aina D. Skjønsfjell and Elin Nilsen, 355-360. Copenhagen, Denmark: Landsforeningen Bifrost.

Higher Education:

McDonald, Neal, and Alan Kreizenbeck. 2012. “Larp in an Interdisciplinary University Course.” In Wyrd Con Companion 2012, edited by Aaron Vanek and Sarah Lynne Bowman, 128-137. Los Angeles, CA: Wyrd Con.
Torner, Evan. 2022. “Chapter 16: Film and Literature Instruction Through Live Action Role-Play.” In Teaching Games and Game Studies in the Literature Classroom, edited by Tison Pugh and Lynn Ramey, 177-184. Bloomsbury.

Business:

Pouchlá, Jana. 2013. “Business Larp: Management Skills Trained by a Game.” In Crossing Habitual Borders, edited by Karete Jacobsen Meland and Katrine Øverlie Svela, 27-34. Oslo, Norway: Fantasiforbundet.

Military:

Jensen, Maria Kolseth. 2021. “Larp in Leadership Development at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy (RNNA).” In Book of Magic: Vibrant Fragments of Larp Practices, edited by Kari Kvittingen Djukastein, Marcus Irgens, Nadja Lipsyc, and Lars Kristian Løveng Sunde. Oslo, Norway: Knutepunkt.

Activism and Politics:

Readings:

Lehto, Tanja. 2016. “Where Can Political Larp Go?” In Larp Politics: Systems, Theory, and Gender in Action, edited by Kaisa Kangas, Mika Loponen, and Jukka Särkijärvi, 105-109. Helsinki, Finland: Solmukohta 2016, Ropecon ry.
Rantanen, Teemu. 2016. “Larp as a Form of Political Action: Some Insights from the Theories of Political Science.” In Larp Politics: Systems, Theory, and Gender in Action, edited by Kaisa Kangas, Mika Loponen, and Jukka Särkijärvi, 111-118. Helsinki, Finland: Solmukohta 2016, Ropecon ry.
Turkington, Moyra. 2016. “Rehearsing Difference.” In Larp Politics: Systems, Theory, and Gender in Action, edited by Kaisa Kangas, Mika Loponen, and Jukka Särkijärvi, 95-104. Helsinki, Finland: Solmukohta 2016, Ropecon ry.

Videos:

Pohjola, Mike. 2016. “Baltic Warriors: A Participatory Documentary.” In Larp Realia: Analysis, Design, and Discussions of Nordic Larp, edited by Jukka Särkijärvi, Mika Loponen, and Kaisa Kangas, 10-16, Helsinki: Ropecon ry.