Inclusive Practices For Incorporating Therapeutic Techniques in LARP

About this Event

Live action role-playing games are growing in popularity and come in a wide variety of forms, from large scale productions with hundreds of players to games played in people’s living rooms or over video chat. While LARP shares many traits with tabletop role-playing games, the key difference is that players in a LARP embody their characters instead of narrating all of their actions. Because of this, the intensity of the role-playing experience can often be amplified and feel especially personal. This training focuses on creating inclusive spaces that can support the integration of therapeutic techniques in LARP in a way that prioritizes participant safety. It will cover the different forms of LARP, tools and techniques for creating safe and empowering experiences, ways to navigate some common pitfalls, and best practices for creating accessible and inclusive infrastructures for these games.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe three ways in which players are already attempting to use LARP as a form of therapy.
2. Explain and implement seven different safety mechanics used in LARP.
3. Identify three common pitfalls facilitators and participants encounter when integrating therapeutic practices into LARP.
4. Create therapeutic live action role-playing experiences for people with different backgrounds.

Course Instructor:

Clio Yun-su Davis is a game designer and writer whose work largely focuses on grief, Asian and Asian American experiences, pop culture, gender, and adolescence. After earning a Masters degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU where they studied Interaction Design, Clio moved into the game design and interactive storytelling field. They have contributed to tabletop roleplaying games such as Kids on Bikes, Hearts of Wulin, and FlipTales, and are the lead designer for the card game Battle of the Boy Bands. In addition to tabletop games, Clio designs live action role-playing games such as The Long Drive Back from Busan, a LARP about a struggling K-pop group, and But Not Tonight, a LARP about nuclear panic in the 1980s. Their interactive novel The Fog Knows Your Name was published by Choice of Games in 2019. When not creating games, Clio can often be found talking about them on panels at gaming conventions across the country.

Disability Accommodations

It is the responsibility of the Individual to contact Geek Therapeutics to request disability accommodations at Hello@geektherapeutics.com.   

Geek Therapeutics is committed to helping each student reach his/her academic potential and to providing every student equal opportunity to participate in and engage with the course.  In keeping with this commitment, effort has been made to develop accessible learning materials that provide equal access.  Please contact Geek Therapeutics immediately if access to course materials is restricted due to a disability so the issue(s) can be resolved in a timely manner.

Continuing Education Credits:

Psychologists: Geek Therapeutics is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Geek Therapeutics maintains responsibility for this program and its content

Counselors: Geek Therapeutics has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7042. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Geek Therapeutics is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Social Workers: Geek Therapeutics, #1769, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Geek Therapeutics maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 05/19/2022 – 05/19/2025. Social workers completing this course receive 1 continuing education credits.

Play Therapists:  Geek Therapeutics has been approved by APT as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, No. 21-649. Programs that do not qualify for APT credit are clearly identified. Geek Therapeutics is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Other Professions: This activity qualifies for the specified number of hours of instructional content as required by many licensing boards and professional organizations. Save your