Think Larp - Academic Writings from KP2011 First Edition, 2011 ISBN 978-87-92507-04-4 Published in conjunction with the Knudepunkt 2011 conference Editor-in-Chief Thomas Duus Henriksen Editors Christian Bierlich Kasper Friis Hansen Valdemar Kølle Layout Claus Raasted Cover Art Lars Munck Proofreading Claus Raasted Jonas Trier-Knudsen Nathan Hook Nicolai Paulsen Peter Michael Lintrup Robert Harry Evans Simon Rosell Holt Tobias Demediuk Bindslet Publishing House Rollespilsakademiet, Copenhagen, Denmark Print Toptryk Grafisk Web www.rollespilsakademiet.dk/kpbooks Disclaimer The information contained herein is the viewpoints of the respective authors. The European Commission is not to be held accountable for the statements or views. Copyright All copyrights belong to the respective authors Supported by Think Larp: Table of Contents Dedication 8 Foreword This book has been made as a part of Knudepunkt 2011 in Denmark. Editors Knudepunkt is an annual Nordic Larp conference organised by Bifrost, the Danish National 14 Introduction to the Academic 2011 Edition Organisation that promotes roleplaying and other creative activitites. Thomas Duus Henriksen The conference, the book and all the other wonderful things happening in conjunction with the conference could not have been possible without the volunteers of the Knudepunkt 2011 team: Chapter One 30 From Subculture to Mainstream A Week in Denmark Books Logistics Maya Müller Anders Berner Lars Andresen Troels Barkholt Marie Holm-Andersen Christian Bierlich Kasper Sjøgren 52 Why Japan does not Larp Nynne Søs Rasmussen Tobias Bindslet Carsten Prag Charles Bo Nielsen Communication Björn-Ole Kamm Claus Raasted Louisa Carbonelli Troels Barkholt 70 Doing Gender at Larp Thomas Duus Henriksen Tobias Bindslet Social Kasper Friis Lars Munck Jofrid Regitzesdatter Sofie Falk Jesper Heebøll Helene Willer Anna Emilie Groth Valdemar Kølle Chapter Two Marie Holm-Andersen Marie Oscilowski Economy Jesper Kristiansen Claus Raasted Troels Barkholt 88 Larp, Theatre and Performance Juliane Mikkelsen Pia Frederiksen Marjukka Lampo Carsten Prag Fundraising Caroline Koren Claus Raasted Troels Barkholt 104 The Theory and Practice of Larp in Non-Fiction Film Kristoffer Thurøe Christian Bierlich Special thanks to these Helene Willer Jakob Givskud amazing people for their Evan Torner Marie Holm-Andersen additional help: Program Carsten Prag Anders Hultman 124 Parasocial Interaction in Pervasive Role-Play Tobias Bindslet Nynne Søs Rasmussen Rasmus Høgdall Jaakko Stenros & Markus Montola Jakob Givskud Helene Willer Morten Lahrmann Marie Holm-Andersen Peter Munthe-Kaas Chapter Three Bjarke Pedersen David Thorhauge Nynne Søs Rasmussen Mikkel Sander 152 The Dual-Faceted Role Sofie Støvelbæk Jonas Trier Lauri Lukka Anna Westerling 172 The Larping that is not Larp J. Tuomas Harviainen 194 Pre-Larp Workshops as Learning Situations Jesper Bruun 216 Playing as a Form of Nihilism Ari-Pekka Lappi Think Larp - Academic Writings from KP2011 Foreword A diversity of studies for a diverse field Chapter 1 - The formation of culture, subculture and normativity This is the ninth of the anthologies published in conjunction with the Intro annual Knudepunkt conference. In this book, you will find the academic The first chapter consists of contributions that concern the formation of larp culture, both contributions on larp theory, and as something new, these contributions as a subculture and mainstream culture, as well as the development of certain kinds of have been placed in a separate book. Two other books are published normativity inside this culture. alongside this academic book; a playbook titled ‘Do Larp’, which provides the blueprints for a range of interesting larps, and a rantbook titled ‘Talk Larp’, Maya Müller which provides a series of current opinions on and visions for Nordic larp. Historian Maya Müller describes how larp culture is anything but static by describing how larp first established itself as a subculture, and then became a part of mainstream culture The vision for this volume has been to allow academics to provide a diversity in Denmark. Müller describes how larp as subculture represented a threatening cultural of academically founded approaches to understanding larp, not on basis of phenomenon, which was often associated with decay, devil worship and even murder, and those theories and understandings already established as larp theory, but on how this threatening nature of larp was gradually dismantled while becoming a part of the basis of larp-external perspectives. It has been a long process of first calling mainstream culture for youths in Denmark. In her article, Müller provides a view on the for papers, then performing a double-blind peer review on each of the very formation of the identity of the Danish larp community as a development from subculture different contributions, and finally assembling the 10 contributions which to mainstream culture. form the basis of this book. Björne-Ole Kamm The contributions have been divided into three chapters. The first concerns In the following section, Björn-Ole Kamm turns the question of cultural development the cultural aspect of larp, the second is on how larp intermingles with upside down while asking the question ‘Why does Japan not larp?’ In his study, Kamm other media, and the third is on the larp activity in itself. Together, the analyses how larp fails to develop in a culture with a tradition for related phenomena. three chapters and 10 articles form this year’s contribution to the ever In his article, Kamm provides access to a wide variety of cultural phenomena, which accumulating body of larp theory, and by raising the bar this year, we hope have not spawned the development of a larp culture in Japan, but which are gradually that the articles will find a broader application. becoming influential in European larp. One such particular phenomenon is cosplay, where participants dress up and interact as characters from cartoons, computer games or rock bands. Cosplay could be seen at the German larp Conquest of Mythodea (2010). Jofrid Regitzesdatter Anthropologist Jofrid Regitzesdatter addresses the fictional barriers in Danish larp while using gender studies to ask why gender seemingly remains an area that cannot be altered through fiction. While a fictional contract allows for larpers to have their bodies re- fictionalised to fit into desired categories, e.g becoming accepted as the tallest dwarf og the smallest ogre, larpers seemingly refuse to accept a female body playing a male body, e.g. in the form of a Brettonian soldier in a Warhammer setting. From this perspective, Regitzesdatter notices how certain conceptualisations of bodies and values function as processes of exclusion, and impose a problematic hetero-normative discourse on participants. Though her analysis, Regitzesdatter asks the highly relevant question of why some issues should be excluded from re-fictionalisation, while others are not. 8 9 Think Larp - Academic Writings from KP2011 Foreword Chapter 2 - Larp in media and media in larp Chapter 3 - Role, larping, structure and boundaries Intro Intro The second chapter addresses larp as a multimodal phenomenon that seemingly evades the The last chapter in this anthology addresses the larp activity, and in particular how the classic, spectator oriented approaches of media studies. As proposed by Haggren, Larsson, foundation for participation in a larp is established and understood. In this chapter, Nordwall and Widing in their Deltagarkultur from 2008, larp should be understood as a emphasis is placed on understanding the activity of larping, as well as its associated participatory, cultural phenomenon, and therefore as a media which imposes different uses processes. and criteria on the media it intermingles with. Lauri Lukka Marjukka Lampo It is difficult to write a Knudepunkt book without some kind of elaboration on the concept In the first section of this chapter, Marjukka Lampo discusses the shortcomings of of role, and in the first section of this chapter, Lauri Lukka uses social psychology to propose approaching larp from theatre studies while describing the benefits of shifting to the more a new approach for understanding and creating roles. In his analysis, Lukka proposes a participatory analytical frame offered by performance studies. In her analysis, Lampo distinction between everyday roles, which are contextual and difficult to generalise to describes how theatre studies imposes a spectator perspective on the analysis, and an other situations, and creative roles, which are personality based and can be expressed in understanding of larp on basis of passive perception, whereas studying larp on basis of the form of everyday roles in several situations. While attempting to perform a conceptual performance studies allows for an understanding that emphasises active co-creation. closure, Lukka’s dual-facetted model on roles provides a foundation for discussing the various transactions taking place between the personality of the role and its expression. Evan Torner A similar problem is addressed in the second section by Evan Torner, who approaches larp J. Tuomas Harviainen on the basis of film studies. While larp uses film for various purposes, e.g. for cinematic In the second section, Jiituomas Harviainen elaborates on the distinction between larp and trailers, documentation or in game features, film remains a spectator oriented media that larping on basis of psychology and religion. Systematic analysis is used to describe how must be adapted