Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Essay

No. 5 (2024): Welcome to Join: Exploring Access and Accessibility in Analog Role-Playing Games

Inclusion in Larp: Between Challenge and the Experience of Limits

Submitted
July 3, 2024
Published
2024-11-23

Abstract

This article addresses the challenges and limitations of inclusion in live-action role-playing (larp), arguing that as the real world becomes more diverse, addressing diversity and disability within the larp community is becoming increasingly important. The essay further emphasizes that inclusion involves not just accessibility, but also self-determination and informed decision-making. It discusses the break in immersion that occurs when participants encounter disabilities in the game and highlights the tendency to operate within ableist structures that exclude disabled people. A lack of interaction with disabled people in everyday life often leads to insecurity, which can be heightened in larps, and plays a significant role. Disabilities should not be depicted as a 'cool' character trait but should be viewed as a natural part of the game world. Lastly, the essay calls for larp designers to integrate inclusion into their design processes and to clearly communicate the resources available for fostering inclusion.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.