User summary:
This is the companion book to the 2014 Wyrd Con, edited by Sarah Lynne Bowman. It contains articles on RPG theory, including:
The State of Amtgard
The Theory Game: Nordic LARP, Psychotherapy, and Player Safety
Culture Shock: Building a Freeform Scene in Edmonton
The Origins of Geek Culture: Perspectives on a Parallel Intellectual milieu
Playing with Myth: Applying Mythic Imagination to Live Action Role-Play
The Parlor Sandbox: Counter-Players and Ephemera in American Freeform
Entering and Leaving the "Magic Circle" as Symbolic Acts: The Case of Russian Field Larps
Level Up: Guys, We Need to Talk
The Academic Section
Pulling the Trigger on Player Agency: How Psychological Intrusions in Larps Affect Game Play
Educational Live Action Role-Playing Games: A Secondary Literature Review
Larping the Past: Research
Lessons Learned from Larp: Promoting Social Realism in Nursing Simulation