The Cutting Edge of Nordic Larp

Welcome to Nordic larp!

This is one of two books written for the Knutpunkt conference 2014. Where this book tries to be the ‘cutting edge’, the new, and the vision for the future; the other book builds the ‘foundation stone’ that the edge can be sharpened upon. The other book is a reprint of older, often cited material, making it easier for the new in the Knutpunkt audience to find the information, while this book contains new texts from this year. The two books are meant to complement each other.

This book is split into three rough categories. ‘The Game and The Design’ gather those articles focused on the game itself, and on the creation of the construct that is the game. In the chapter, there is material on writing scripts, designing vampire tragedy, using Jungian typology in character design, and two design concepts for political larps. There is also an article on the use of mobile phones, and a critical review of the mixing desk that has been presented at earlier conferences.

The second chapter, ‘The Play and The Culture’ focus on the activity of playing a larp, and on the culture that is created around it. In the chapter, you can read about ideas for changing the real world through larp, both one example in Finland and one in Lebanon. You can read about immersion, about the effects of crowdfunding, and you can read about the likeness and difference between Nordic larp and the larp culture in Brazil. You can also read about making larp as art, and on cultural appropriation and how to build games without stepping on cultural minority.

Finally, in the chapter ‘The Meta and The Agitator’ you find the articles that focus on Knutpunkt and the Nordic larp scene in itself. Here you can find articles on what Nordic larp means, on how we should act toward each other, and on the ethic understanding of larps. For our ex-USSR readers, you can find a first attempt at explaining the terms, and create understanding between the cultures. You can also find an article on selling Nordic larp, and getting people to listen, and you can even find an article about the Knutpunkt books themselves, and their meaning for academia.

I hope you will have a good read, both on future, and past!