Live Action Role-Playing (Larp): Insight into an Underutilized Educational Tool - In Learning Education and Games - Volume 2
Summary Points
Live Action Role Playing (LARP) is a new name for an old, common pedagogical technique used through the world for centuries
Educational LARP has a specific purpose and pedagogical stucture
LARP could be a powerful tool for education. However, more attention, awareness, and study is needed.
The difference between a “game” and “play”. They are not the same thing
Often when people see the term educational games” they think solely of digital video games. The top Google hits for “educational games” brings up web-based games, software, apps, or academic theorists arguing the value and efficacy of games in schooling.
LARP: A learning model that predates digital games
Other labels for LARP
Educational games defined by Wikipedia are “games explicitly designed with educational purposes, or that have incidental or secondary educational value.” (Wikipedia, n.d., retrieved March 2, 2015)
If games are essentially models of reality, then the things that games teach us must reflect on reality. The very phrase ‘it’s just a game’ implies that playing a game is a form of PRACTICE for a real-life challenge. From playing cops and robber to playing house, play is about learning life skills. (Koster, 2005, pp. 52-53)
The problem is not that games cannot teach, the problem is that not enough games nor different types
of games have been used, studied or compared for their educational capability
The bulk of educational game research is currently concentrated on digital games, often ignoring centuries of nondigital games that could have significant positive effects on direct learning—at a fraction of the cost.
A structured game with set rules and clear goals are not required for play
People (and animals) can play without a defined win state, points, stats, levels, or boss enemies.
Not all larps are games, but all larps are play; it is inherent in the action
Whether they are a game or play, larps can be an amazing catalyst for classroom engagement, improved student focus, drive, motivation, and even understanding across a wide range of subjects.
Larps exercise the soft skills of time management, critical thinking, teamwork, empathy, and one of the most important, accepting and learning from failure.
Interactive
Simulation
Experiential learning
Theatre games
Story games
Freeform games
Live games
Murder mystery theatre
Narrative games
Several forms of experiential learning currently exist in pedagogy. Game-based learning is a form of education that includes systems for success and failure, but may not involve a role. Simulations attempt to replicate real world scenarios in low-consequence contexts and generally involve some degree of role. Drama is a form of theatrical enactment that avoids extensive scripting in favor of role-based, collaborative improvisation into a fictional situation. Role-playing refers to the act of adopting a new role for a long period of time in a bounded, fictional scenario that may or may not resemble mundane reality. (Bowman, S., & Standiford, A., 2015)
From Plato through Piaget, philosophers, psychologists, and professional educators have endorsed educational games: that is, using the elements of play, however defined, to promote learning. But usually educational games are recommended for youngsters. The same theorists insist that for teenagers and older students, play should give way to work. This helps explain why so many college students are deeply disengaged from the academic enterprise. (M. Carnes, personal communication, May 22nd, 2015).
Frameworks used by Edu-Larp designers, practioners, scholars and theorists
Process Drama
Gamified drama
Situated Learning and Problem-Based Learning
Progressive Inquiry
Self-Directed Learning
Experiential Education
Hjalmarsson
Research Findings
Unfortunately, very little direct research is available for larps in general, and even less about educational larps
Current research on educational larps focuses on student engagement with the material.
“What types of teaching is roleplaying ideal for?”
“When I choose to use role-play as a means of teaching it is because it is an excellent way of organizing teaching, not because the hobby appeals to its fans. In the 21st century, being a teacher is not about teaching pupils facts,
it is about helping them internalize knowledge, skills, and competencies” (Harder, 2007, p. 229).
“The qualitative interviews revealed strong excitement for larping, praise for larp’s interactive capabilities, and an emphasis on the fun of learning through play. 100% of the 21 participants said they would like to learn through larp in the future” (Bowman & Standiford, 2013).
Further research
What is sorely lacking in this field is a comparative study between learning by larp and learning via traditional pedagogy
There is a promising approach to assessment by using evidence-centered design
An interesting study would be to measure the level of engagement and enthusiasm teachers
have for using live action role-playing in their classrooms, and how much of that excitement transfers to students, if at all.
A longitudinal study of the effects edu-larp has on standardized testing not only in
the grade of the student but in their future educational career is long overdue.