2024
Guajardo, Ashley ML; Stenros, Jaakko
Sexuality and the Erotic in Role-Play Book Chapter
In: Zagal, José P.; Deterding, Sebastian (Ed.): The Routledge Handbook of Role-Playing Game Studies, Routledge, 2024, ISBN: 978-1-003-29804-5.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Role-play, Sexual arousal, Sexuality
@inbook{nokey,
title = {Sexuality and the Erotic in Role-Play},
author = {Ashley ML Guajardo and Jaakko Stenros},
editor = {José P. Zagal and Sebastian Deterding},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003298045},
doi = {10.4324/9781003298045},
isbn = {978-1-003-29804-5},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-06-27},
booktitle = {The Routledge Handbook of Role-Playing Game Studies},
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {This chapter focuses on three key areas of interest: sexual and erotic themes and imagery in role-playing games, erotic role-play and player interactions, and sexual and erotic role-play outside of game contexts. It focuses on how sex, sexuality, and the erotic have been represented in role-playing games. The chapter deals with both rules in games that allow for the playing out of sexual acts as well as the representation of character sexuality. It looks at erotic role-play and player interactions, examining studies of how role-players incorporate sex into their games and at sexual and erotic role-play behaviors in non-game contexts. The chapter encompasses activities that can be argued to be playful but do not revolve around a set game. By using these three key themes to discuss sexuality and erotic role-play, it provides a good introduction to contemporary research on the topic.},
keywords = {Role-play, Sexual arousal, Sexuality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
This chapter focuses on three key areas of interest: sexual and erotic themes and imagery in role-playing games, erotic role-play and player interactions, and sexual and erotic role-play outside of game contexts. It focuses on how sex, sexuality, and the erotic have been represented in role-playing games. The chapter deals with both rules in games that allow for the playing out of sexual acts as well as the representation of character sexuality. It looks at erotic role-play and player interactions, examining studies of how role-players incorporate sex into their games and at sexual and erotic role-play behaviors in non-game contexts. The chapter encompasses activities that can be argued to be playful but do not revolve around a set game. By using these three key themes to discuss sexuality and erotic role-play, it provides a good introduction to contemporary research on the topic.
2022
Grasmo, Hanne; Stenros, Jaakko
Nordic Erotic Larp: Designing for Sexual Arousal Journal Article
In: International Journal of Role-Playing, iss. 12, pp. 62-105, 2022, ISSN: 2210-4909.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Alibi, Design, Design abstract, Larp, Make-believe, Marketing, Nordic larp, Oppression, Queer games, Role-play, Sex in games, Sexual arousal
@article{Grasmo2022,
title = {Nordic Erotic Larp: Designing for Sexual Arousal},
author = {Hanne Grasmo and Jaakko Stenros},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202210107540},
issn = {2210-4909},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-10-05},
urldate = {2022-10-05},
journal = {International Journal of Role-Playing},
issue = {12},
pages = {62-105},
abstract = {Erotic larp is an emerging trend in the Nordic countries. Sexuality and socio-dramatic play have been combined in numerous ways in the past; what is new about this concentration of erotic embodied adult pretend play is that it is emerging from a culture of reflexive, critical, and bespoke design, as a tradition of art games. By studying 25 design abstracts of Nordic art larps from the last decade, this article seeks not only to map, classify, organize, and understand the phenomena of erotic larp design, but to discuss how norms of sexuality are reflected in the Nordic larp community through looking at how sexuality is thematised, described, signalled, and designed. The analysis in this article is rooted in game studies and informed by sexuality studies. In the design abstracts, we uncover how sexuality is thematised by the designers and signalled to the players, as well as how larp rules, mechanics, and expectations are designed for erotic role-play interactions. The article shows that a Nordic tradition of larps with design for erotic and sexual play has emerged during the 201 Os, how new larp mechanics scaffold erotic role-play in ways that give room for sexual arousal through layered alibis, and that these form of larps are inclusive of people of marginalised genders and sexualities, as well as of sexual kinks. The discussion also addresses the tension between liberation and oppression of sexuality in erotic larp design, as well as tensions around player agency and compelling game mechanics.},
keywords = {Alibi, Design, Design abstract, Larp, Make-believe, Marketing, Nordic larp, Oppression, Queer games, Role-play, Sex in games, Sexual arousal},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Erotic larp is an emerging trend in the Nordic countries. Sexuality and socio-dramatic play have been combined in numerous ways in the past; what is new about this concentration of erotic embodied adult pretend play is that it is emerging from a culture of reflexive, critical, and bespoke design, as a tradition of art games. By studying 25 design abstracts of Nordic art larps from the last decade, this article seeks not only to map, classify, organize, and understand the phenomena of erotic larp design, but to discuss how norms of sexuality are reflected in the Nordic larp community through looking at how sexuality is thematised, described, signalled, and designed. The analysis in this article is rooted in game studies and informed by sexuality studies. In the design abstracts, we uncover how sexuality is thematised by the designers and signalled to the players, as well as how larp rules, mechanics, and expectations are designed for erotic role-play interactions. The article shows that a Nordic tradition of larps with design for erotic and sexual play has emerged during the 201 Os, how new larp mechanics scaffold erotic role-play in ways that give room for sexual arousal through layered alibis, and that these form of larps are inclusive of people of marginalised genders and sexualities, as well as of sexual kinks. The discussion also addresses the tension between liberation and oppression of sexuality in erotic larp design, as well as tensions around player agency and compelling game mechanics.