Why Larp?! A Synthesis Paper on Live Action Roleplay in Relation to HCI Research and Practice

TL;DR

This paper synthesizes existing research on live action roleplay (larp) within HCI, highlighting its diverse applications, current knowledge gaps, and the need for best practices and broader engagement.

Contribution

It compiles and analyzes larp-related HCI research, providing an overview, exemplars, and identifying gaps for future exploration.

Findings

Larp has diverse applications in HCI topics.

Current research on larp in HCI is scattered and lacks synthesis.

There is a need for establishing best practices and broader engagement.

Abstract

Live action roleplay (larp) has a wide range of applications, and can be relevant in relation to HCI. While there has been research about larp in relation to topics such as embodied interaction, playfulness and futuring published in HCI venues since the early 2000s, there is not yet a compilation of this knowledge. In this paper, we synthesise knowledge about larp and larp-adjacent work within the domain of HCI. We present a practitioner overview from an expert group of larp researchers, the results of a literature review, and highlight particular larp research exemplars which all work together to showcase the diverse set of ways that larp can be utilised in relation to HCI topics and research. This paper identifies the need for further discussions toward establishing best practices for utilising larp in relation to HCI research, as well as advocating for increased engagement with larps outside academia.