Larpocracy

Larpocracy researches spaces for deliberation and democratic skill-building through live-action role-playing (LARP).

Larpocracy is funded by Horizon Europe and brings together seven leading partners.

04/08/2026

🎉 LARPOCRACY at OIDP 2026!

We are delighted to share that Marcin 'Słowik' Słowikowski has been accepted to present a workshop at the 25th International Observatory on Participatory Democracy - OIDP Conference in Kraków.

His workshop, "Fostering Skills in Democratic Deliberation through Live-Action Role-Playing Games (Larp)," will explore how larp can create meaningful spaces for dialogue, perspective-taking, and democratic participation. By engaging participants in embodied and collaborative experiences, the workshop demonstrates how role-playing can strengthen deliberative skills and encourage more inclusive civic engagement.

We are proud to see LARPOCRACY contributing to this international conversation on participatory democracy and innovative democratic practices.

Congratulations, Marcin! We look forward to sharing more from OIDP 2026.

30/07/2026

How can live-action role-playing games help us better understand and strengthen democracy?

At British DiGRA 2026 in Wales, Weronika Szatkowska and Sarah Lynne Bowman (Uppsala University) presented early findings from Larpocracy research exploring the "golden moments" players remember most from democracy-themed larps.

Rather than focusing solely on voting, the research reveals democracy as a rich tapestry of lived practices. Participants highlighted activities such as:

🤝 Collaboration
🗣️ Communication
👂 Listening & empathy
🎨 Creation & design
📚 Learning
✊ Protest & resistance
⚖️ Decision-making
💡 Experimentation & reflection
🎶 Sharing... and even making music together.

These preliminary findings suggest that democracy is built through collective action, community-building and everyday participation. They also provide valuable insights for educators and larp designers seeking to develop experiences that foster democratic skills, critical reflection and civic engagement.

This collaborative study also includes Karin Johansson (Uppsala University) and Marcin 'Słowik' Słowikowski (Europe4Youth), with invaluable data collection and preparation by Barbara Moś, Piotr Warzyszyński (Europe4Youth), and Kjell Hedgard Hugaas (LARPifiers).

The analysis continues, and we're excited to share more insights in the coming months.

27/07/2026

LARPOCRACY Research Recognised at ISAGA 2026

We're delighted to celebrate an exciting achievement from the LARPOCRACY community!

At ISAGA 2026 (International Simulation and Gaming Association Conference), Sarah Lynne Bowman presented the paper:

The Assembly: Designing a Role-playing Intervention to Foster Skills in Democratic Deliberation

The paper, co-authored by Sarah Lynne Bowman (Uppsala University), PerOla Öberg (Uppsala University), Kjell Hedgard Hugaas (LARPifiers), and Josephine Rydberg (Stockholm University of the Arts), received the Best Paper Award – Runner Up.

The Assembly explores how live-action role-play (larp) can cultivate the skills essential for democratic deliberation in increasingly polarised societies. Drawing on research in deliberative democracy, transformative game design, and simulation studies, the project presents a 3–4 hour larp designed to foster active listening, respectful dialogue, openness to diverse perspectives, and thoughtful engagement with complex political issues. The paper also introduces a longitudinal mixed-methods assessment framework to evaluate the intervention's long-term impact.

Congratulations to the entire research team on this well-deserved recognition!

Special thanks to Sebastiaan Meijer from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, one of the conference organisers, pictured here with Sarah during the award presentation.

17/07/2026

🇸🇪 Larpocracy at Almedalen Week 2026

During Almedalen Week in Visby, Sweden—one of the country's leading forums for political debate and public dialogue—Larpocracy brought participatory methods into the heart of the conversation.

On 24 June, Annika Waern presented the Larpocracy project as part of a programme exploring how games can strengthen democracy and democratic resilience.

Then, on 26 June, Karin Johansson facilitated Deliberative Speed Dating, a one-hour introductory larp designed to introduce participants to both live action role-play and deliberative democracy.

Designed by Karin Johansson, Sarah Lynne Bowman and Annika Waern, the experience invited participants to explore democratic dialogue through playful interaction, sparking meaningful conversations and new opportunities for collaboration.

At Larpocracy, we're exploring how participatory experiences can help people practise the skills democracy depends on.

📍 Visby, Sweden

📸 Photos by Emma Hallberg Gardell.

29/06/2026

It's been eight months since DRIFT brought artists, researchers and communities together in Belém during COP30.

The experience may be over, but its impact is still unfolding.

Hear from Jorge Lopes Ramos, the leader of Larpocracy's WP4, as he reflects on the project's journey, its impact, and what participatory artistic practice can teach us about democracy.

🎥 Watch now.

22/06/2026

The Domain Expert Panel (DEP) brings together professionals from different countries, disciplines and sectors to help us think beyond academia and beyond LARP itself.

Our experts come from fields such as education, museums, game studies, social innovation and participatory practices. They act as consultants, collaborators and multipliers, helping us understand how Larpocracy's findings can be applied in diverse social and educational contexts.

Unlike the project consortium, DEP members participate voluntarily and engage with the project in flexible ways, contributing according to their interests, expertise and availability.

So far, they have:

✨ Participated in online meetings and symposiums
🎭 Playtested LARP scenarios
📝 Provided feedback on project deliverables
🎲 Contributed to our online LARP Game Jam
💬 Shared perspectives that help us communicate with broader audiences

As Larpocracy enters its next phase, the Domain Expert Panel will play an increasingly important role in shaping inclusive policy recommendations and helping translate research into real-world practice.

Strengthening democracy requires many voices, many perspectives, and many ways of learning together.

📷 Tuomas Puikkonen (Parliament of Shadows, 2017)

19/06/2026

What did DRIFT mean to those who experienced it?

This video brings together testimonials from artists who participated in DRIFT in Belém, Brazil, which was developed within Larpocracy’s WP4 and is connected to the context of COP30.

Through their reflections, we hear how artistic practice, play and collective imagination can become tools for dialogue, care and democratic participation.

DRIFT created a temporary space where different voices could meet, exchange experiences and explore new ways of relating to one another and to the future.

These testimonies are a reminder that democracy is not only discussed — it is lived, practised, and co-created.

🎧 Watch, listen and discover DRIFT through the voices of those who made it happen.

📍 Belém, Brazil

08/06/2026

❤️ Behind every research project is a community.

The Larpocracy Symposium 2026 in Kraków was more than a gathering of researchers and designers. It was a space where the next phase of the project took shape.

Over three days, participants shared research findings, explored democratic design practices, tested larp concepts, developed plans for the upcoming anthology, and collaborated with other Horizon Europe projects on future policy initiatives.

Highlights included:
🔹 Work package presentations and discussions on democratic skills and values
🔹 A policy workshop identifying shared audiences and opportunities for collaboration
🔹 Playtesting and discussion of new LARP designs
🔹 ZapLab's highly engaging collaborative session
🔹 Planning for the Democracy by Design Toolkit, Framework for Effects Assessment, and future policy workshops

Most importantly, the Symposium reinforced what Larpocracy is about: bringing together researchers, artists, designers, and practitioners to explore how participatory experiences can strengthen democratic engagement.

The conversations continue, but so does the work.

05/06/2026

🤝 Research thrives through dialogue.

The Larpocracy Symposium 2026 created space for conversations across disciplines, institutions, and professional backgrounds.

Researchers, artists, educators, and designers shared perspectives on democratic engagement, participatory methods, evaluation frameworks, and LARP design.

Some sessions focused on project findings. Others became workshops, critiques, and collaborative brainstorming spaces.

The result was not simply a conference, but a working laboratory for exchanging ideas.

📷 Weronika Szatkowska

04/06/2026

🎨 Art, play, memory, and imagination.

The Larpocracy Symposium 2026 was not only about research presentations. It was also a space to share creative practices and artistic methods.

Throughout the project, partners have explored how storytelling, symbolic objects, role-play, and collective creativity can open new ways of thinking about civic life and democratic participation.

Sometimes a small object, a personal story, or a playful interaction can create powerful opportunities for reflection.

Democracy is not only debated. It is imagined, practised, and experienced.

📷 Weronika Szatkowska

Address

Cardiff, Wales - United Kingdom
Cardiff

Website

https://www.larpocracy.eu/, https://bsky.app/profile/larpocracy.bsky.social

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Larpocracy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your school to be the top-listed school/college in Cardiff?