Category: Guest Lectures

Join us for our next lecture in the Transformative Play Initiative Event Series: “Forgotten Gems: Early Role-playing Game Theory” by J. Tuomas Harviainen!

When: Tuesday, January 24, 7-8:30pm Central European Time (CET)
Where: Online on Zoom

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/2es29sv9

Description:
In this lecture, professor Harviainen presents forgotten gems and early classics of role-playing theory, such as the first attempts at explaining what we now call bleed, or forays into interaction types in larps. Join us to hear what was contained in zines, the first Knutepunkt books, and German manuals for methodological game mastering, as well as what we can still learn from them.

Presenter bio:
J. Tuomas Harviainen is Professor of Information Studies and Interactive Media at Tampere University, Finland, and former editor of the game journals International Journal of Role-Playing and Simulation & Gaming.

This series is hosted by the Games & Society Lab at the Department of Game Design, Uppsala University Campus Gotland. The series explores the use of analog role-playing games as vehicles for lasting personal and social change.

Join us for our next roundtable in the Transformative Play Initiative Event Series. This time with Lauri Lukka, John Stavropoulos, Elektra Diakolambrianou, Yeonsoo Julian Kim, and Katrin Geneuss!

When: Tuesday, May 10, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM CEST
Where: Online on Zoom
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/2p8fp246
RSVP here: https://fb.me/e/1Bieilaux

In the Spring 2022 roundtable, we combine the five speakers from this semester together into a panel to get to know more about them and their take on transformative play.
After hearing:
— Lauri Lukka talk about designing events for intensity and personal growth;
— John Stavropoulos talk about designing a culture of safety in games;
— Elektra Diakolambrianou talk about psychotherapy and larp;
— Yeonsoo Julian Kim talk about horror as a vehicle for healing and transformative play; and
— Katrin Geneuss talk about best practices for edu-larp in formal didactic contexts…

…we are now bringing them together to explore transformative play in the past, present, and future.
Moderated by: Josefin Westborg

Join us for our next Town Hall Meeting in the Transformative Play Initiative Event Series! Town Halls feature lightning talks from experts in the field to spark conversation, as well as group discussions among community members interested in the use of analog role-playing games as vehicles for lasting personal and social change. We welcome you to share experiences, brainstorm ideas, and network at this game design think tank.

When: Tuesday, April 19, 2022, 7 – 9:00 PM CEST
Where: Online on Zoom
Register here: https://tinyurl.com/ypas93rt
RSVP here: https://fb.me/e/3fipf90sw

Lightning Talks:

• Alexandra Schreiber, “Games and Play for Intercultural Learning”
• Shirin Khosropour, Laila Taraghi, & Charlotte Gullick, “Larp in Conflict Transformation Training”
• Joe Lasley, “RPGs as a Leadership Practice”

Moderated by: Kjell Hedgard Hugaas