We are pleased to announce that Playground Worlds: Creating and Evaluating Experiences of Role-Playing Games, published last year in Solmukohta, is avalaible as a free download. It took us a little bit longer to get it online then we would have hoped for, but better late than never.

We are still insanely proud of the book. It has 25 articles divided into three sections: Journalism & Community, Art & Design, Research & Theory. No matter what level of interest you have in regards to larp, there is something in the book for you. This is what some reviewers have said about the book:

This book is a gem! A collection of diverse and quite useful articles on roleplaying, with a strong emphasis on live action play. (Jason Morningstar)

If the idea of scholarly discussion of larp comes as a surprise to you, this book may deliver quite a shock. There are some contributors that are full-time widely-published game theorists, who specialise in larp theory. They’re writing about envelope-pushing larp, but the analysis is often generalisable to more garden-variety larp. If you’re not familiar with the Nordic larp scene, expect to read some articles while thinking “what the hell?” Read with an open mind, and ideas that seem crazy or outlandish at first may grow on you. […]
A thought-provoking collection of works on roleplay, and innovative larp in particular. Well presented, dense with content, and definitely worth the purchase price to get it in hardcopy. (Ryan Paddy)

I’m dying to recommend some pieces in the book, but can’t really pick favourites. What do you find most intereting or useful?

Oh, and if you are one of those old farts who enjoys reading stuff on paper, the paperback version is still available for a very affordable price.