Museums As Gameworlds Larp In Greek Museums

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Museum visitors’ communication through exhibition’s interpretation aims at fulfilling museums educational role, as well as, at the inclusion of different visitor’s groups (βλ. και Vergo 1990, Sauter 1994, Ambrose & Paine 2006, Crooke 2008, Hartmut & Thinesse-Demel 2004, Watson 2007). *

In that framework, the Museum Education and Research Laboratory (University of Thessaly) researches current museum education practice in Greece and abroad, focusing on different methodologies applied in the context of museum interpretation.

An early examination of the research field uncovered the need to examine museum theatre’s potential in museum education. Museum theatre is a field significantly under researched both in Greece and abroad.*

First stage of research included secondary research in order to define museum theatre characteristics as well as to clarify research questions. Secondary research provided the following context and the respective research questions: *

Museum theatre is a communication strategy capable of engaging new and different visitor groups in the museum. It can also be used as a remarkable point of reference for the museum, shaping a more familiar relation between the museum and its visitors and enriching museums’ variety of events (Hughes et al, 2007). Moreover, museum theatre applications include entertainment - making museums more competitive in the leisure industry (Canon-Brookes, 1991).

Is museum theatre able to engage new audiences and thus make museum more attractive in order to approach different social and age groups?*

Museum theatre is also an educational methodology easily adaptable to the constructivist-learning model as well as to the multiple intelligences theory (Jackson 2007). Both learning theories are adopted by a growing number of museums worldwide(Jakson, 2007: 235, Hein 1998:6). Museum theatre "animates the inanimate", and it is able "to throw light on or fill gaps in the partial knowledge offered by the exhibition". It also provides opportunities for multiple narratives, insights and posing questions about the subject – matter of a museum exhibition, putting the learner at the center of the museum experience (Jackson & Kidd, 2007:2).

In what ways does audience engage in the interpretation process? Has museum theatre the ability to offer multiple narratives and challenge museum’s authority [1] ?*

Museum theatre put emphasis on visitors’ experience by trying to combine education and entertainment (Hughes 1998), but is it able to efficiently support the function of the museum as a place for experience, learning and entertainment? *

The paper presents results of the first phase of a research project focusing on the recent use of LARP, as a museum theatre form, in Greek museum education.*

What is a LARP?*

LARP is a kind of pretend play (Rognli, 2008: 199), studied through different fields of research such as game theory, performance studies, psychology and education. Nevertheless, so far no research has been detected on the educational use of LARPs in museums, so we would be glad for any contribution. *

Live Action Role Playing Games stem from the tradition of Role Playing Games or RPG that appeared in the 1970’s in the game industry, and are popular mainly among teenagers (Katsanika & Katsaridou 2007). RPG moved from subculture to mainstream culture, due to its ability to adapt in different settings *(Müller, 2011). Role playing games are an idiosyncratic form (Montola 2009:3). In game studies, role playing games are classified as a "limit case" (Salen & Zimmerman 2004: 81-82) or "borderline cases" because they don’t fit for several reasons the definition of a game (Hopeametsä 2008: 188). Their origin is traced back in the beginning of the 20th century into Moreno’s psychodrama (Arjoranta 2009:3) and they are even connected with 17th -18th century’s European carrousels too, a form of live role play often performed at the European Courts (Söderberg et al, 2002). Many RPG techniques also overlap with drama techniques (Konzack 2007, Ericsson 2004, Falk and Davenport 2004). Thus, its relation to theatre, especially for LARP, seems quite intrinsic. *

RPG can be described as a game in which participants adopt the role of imaginative characters and through mutual cooperation they create or watch stories. The participants act according to the restrictions imposed by their role and their success or fail depends on certain rules and guidelines communicated to players, usually, by a "game master" and rarely by the players themselves (Arjoranta 2009). Through a process based on achieving several targets, players work as a group in order to fulfill their mission. Players’ decisions form the course of the game. There are no winners or losers, just "an interactive process of defining and re-defining an imaginary game world, done by a group of participants according to a recognized structure of power" (Montola 2007:179).*

As stated in Drachen & Hitchens (2009) main components of RPG are the following:

Gameworld

Participants

Characters

Gamemaster

Interaction

Narrative *

Role Playing Games appear in many variations. The term Live Action Role Playing Games, which is being researched in the present paper, because of its implementation in museums,is used in order to describe Role Playing Games that are played physically by the participants and therefore acquire dramatic characteristics.

Larp appear in many variations too. From games going on for months among several participants, to short duration programs for a small number of participants. Larp has also been used for exploring political & social issues in a historical interpretation context *(in Bellarusse, & Czech Republic enlivening 2nd world war, Karalevich and Springerberg 2010, Gotthard and Zlatohlavek 2010), for educational purposes even as the main methodology for school curriculum (Hyltoft 2008).*

LARP in an educational context can be distinguished in full scale games, functionality play and teacher role play:

"Full scale larp is very demanding … many learning goals can be achieved in the preparation of the larp and the evaluation afterwards.

Functionality play is less demanding… Groups of pupils are given distinct functions …they are not required to develop individual identity, though this may occur naturally. Usually pupils define themselves as a group and act collectively.

Teacher role-play resembles the pedagogical drama method where the teacher assumes a character role in which pupils can ask questions and interact with the role-playing teacher. The pupils however, are also expected to assume a function role and react through that role…" (Hyltoft 2008:14) *

Research Framework

The use of LARP in museum education in Greece was introduced in 2007 by LARP players who approached successfully the museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki (Katsanika και Katsaridou 2008)in order to play with museum visitors, as they believed that museum’s historical authenticity would make the game even more fascinating [2] . This cooperation led the LARP players to the establishment of the Gamecraft Company, which in subsequent years worked with several museums (http://gamecraft.gr/?p=709) in the development of educational activities in the form of a scenario-based museum exhibits. The company has also implemented educational LARPS in open air sites and cultural centers. Moreover, Gamecraft enjoys a constant presence in 2 museums in Northern Greece: the Museum of Byzantine Culture and the Folklife and Ethnological Museum of Macedonia-Thrace, both situated in Thessaloniki. According to Gamecraft, they have so far implemented over 40 original LARPS for museums, open-air sites and cultural centers.*

In order to explore LARP application in museum settings, specific research questions were addressed concerning:

• The institutional framework: LARP’s integration in the museums’ communicative and educational policy, as well as the issues concerning the institution’s and company’s cooperation in LARPS’ design and implementation.

• The form and content of LARP as an educational program in a museum setting, focusing on the following aspects:

• Scenario, museum objects / contents

• Use of the museum space

• Forms of communication-interaction between the interpreter and the visitor *

For the investigation of the above questions primary research was conducted, as the relevant literature, at least as regards the use of LARPS in museums, is extremely limited. More specifically, qualitative research included participant observation of LARP applications from members of the research team, semi-structured interviews with members of the educational department of the two museums, which host such games on a permanent basis, as well as with members of the Gamecraft Company. For a better understanding of the visitors’ experience the Laboratory of Museum Research and Education plans to expand the research by adding visitors’ focus groups in the next research phase. *

4. Research results*

4. 1 Larp and Institutional policy

According to the research results Museums’ Educational departments, which is the main contact departments for Gamecraft, faced the introduction of Larp as a way of enriching their educational activities. In this context larps focused on expanding audience groups with adults and families (MBC) as well as secondary school groups (LEMMT). Particular emphasis was placed on innovation, as Gamecraft introduced a new methodology on approaching museum objects so the visitors had the chance to:

«...experience the museum in a different and more enjoyable way, to learn by participating and not just listening, and enjoy a trip in the past…" (MBC).

Larps were introduced both as a part of celebration events and leisure programs (MBC) as well as of the permanent educational programs addressed to school groups. LARP’s promotion didn’t differentiate from the museum’s established promotional procedure of educational programs that include leaflets, newsletters (sent to museums contacts by email) and social media. Gamecraft company also promotes museum larps through its own network of contacts [3] .

According to the museum’s educational department, the introduction of LARP helped attract adults and families, a new target group for the Museum (BC). On the contrary, LARP targeted at school groups was not so successful, maybe because of the fact that teachers weren’t familiar with this kind of activity.

Public response is significantly encouraging when LARPs address to adults and families [4] while in the case of school groups it is much more limited. *

"People are generally excited because it is something different and new ... they are not used to go to the museum and do something, involve themselves ... usually they are visitors, especially adults, who have never before involved in a museum activity... and kids get excited too" (MBC)*

Regarding the cooperation between museums and Gamecraft it was important to investigate the educational planning process, in particular the creation of the script, as the core of the whole educational process that seeks to integrate scientific information in a fictional context, and the possibility of deviations from the official and scientifically documented museum narrative.

According to the results, the design is based on the continuous and intensive collaboration between the museum and the Gamecraft Company. From a museums’ perspective responsibility for this cooperation is undertaken mainly by the educational department, as these actions are part of the educational programming of museums. On a second level specialists from the collections department are involved in order to provide specialized information for the script. Sometimes the conservation department also provide replicas for hands on activities during the game. *

Museums provide specific requirements in terms of defining the exhibition contents and thus greatly in terms of exhibits selected. They provide also scientific information (MBC) and the members of the Gamecraft have to attend some training about the contents of the museum exhibition. *Subsequently, Gamecraft forms a first script which is then checked for its scientific validity by the museum professionals. Pilot LARP implementations with museum professionals as players are considered essential for any corrections or closing remarks. *

Museum intervention focuses primarily on the scientific part, the historical content and not on the plot. The "scientific validity check" is a process that often involves repeat controls and corresponding corrections. According to the museum professional:

"The museum was quite intrusive in terms of content" (LMMTH)

Museums considered this process as a necessity that permits them to have full control of the contents and the narrative delivered within their premises and under their responsibility. Gamecraft seems to be seeking this test so as the final result is consistent with the scientific validity of the museum. As the Museum of Byzantine Culture Education Department stated:

"They know how to tell a story to the people but we have the historical knowledge ... they may tell nice stories in an appealing way but they may not be scientifically accurate"

Although the museum seems to maintain authority, this cooperation appears very successful to both sides. As stated by Gamecraft, curators can provide

"Very important information we could not find on our own…" (GC).

Nevertheless, they express their concern:

  "The first day I have terrible anxiety about the exhibits ... I'm afraid I will have to give an answer on something I ignore"(GC).

Concerning the use of the museum space, the institution doesn’t intend to make changes in the museum space for supporting LARP design or visitors’ comfort. Educational material though, usually in the form of museum objects’ replicas (as in the case of the Museum of Byzantine Culture) or materials for the demonstration of techniques (as in LEMMT), is provided to Gamecraft by the museum.

*

4.2 Form & Content

Form encompasses the structural elements in Larp design while content refers to the ideas and themes communicated to visitors. Form and content though intermingles in the creation of the larp experience (εδώ θα ήταν απαραίτητη μια αναφορά για το γραπτό κείμενο)

Larp is addressing to organized groups of visitors. The form of Larp can be described as follows:

Upon arrival of the visitors group, a person from the museum education department offers them a brief introduction into the game. The game master follows in introducing the group into the theme of the game. He explains them the case and assume roles for the participants. Participants form one single group with common aims and guided by one or more than one game master, they examine selected museum objects in various museum rooms in order to fulfill their mission. Though the use of costumes in LARP is considered by Gamecraft as an important element in participants’ immersion into the game and is also a participants’ request from times to times [5] , financial limitations do not allow such a cost to be added to the program’s budget. *

The Gamecraft Company designs larps in such a way that participants can have an overview of the museum space. Restrictions include the simultaneous presence of a large number of visitors, apart from game’s, as well as the fact that sometimes museum objects included in the plot for observation cannot be easily observed by the whole group of participants simultaneously. Nevertheless, such limitations are rare in the implementation of LARP in heritage sites. *

LARP’s duration cannot exceed 1, 5 hours, as there are usually several LARPs taking place during the day and time schedule has to remain strict. A moderator is in charge of synchronizing the flow of the visitors’ groups. *

Larps’ content is inspired by historical narratives documented in the museum, while historical accuracy is of great importance both by the Gamecraft Company and the museum. Usually, the games’ plot is a mystery that has to be solved or the decoding of an object, while characters can be either from the present or from the past. No real characters are assigned as roles to the participants. The participants face dilemmas and they have to make choices though the extent to which they can alter the pre-designed plot of the game is significantly limited for safety reasons regarding Gamecraft’s maintenance of control over the game. Αs far as it concerns participants’ response during the game, Gamecraft stated that they don’t face a problem in slipping into the role. This statement though will be tested further in the second research stage.*Nevertheless, the script follows a dramatic structure with inspiration moments, moments of surprise, narrative twists and dramatic climax aiming to provoke an emotive and cognitive response to visitors.*

Strict guidelines in museum objects’ approach leads to the creation of a pre-determined plot with few options for a participants’ driven narrative. In-depth dialogue with the participants, as well as a debriefing is not included in games’ content.*

Conclusions

Research results provided some important insights in the function of LARP in Greek museums.*

LARPs formed part of the communication policy of the museum as in the form of an "innovative- idea-to attract". Nevertheless, museums’ promotional activities didn’t extend in order to reach potential visitor groups, but museum’s collaboration with the Gamecraft Company offered an augmented dissemination of the program. *

The public response to LARP in museums vary depending on the conditions of implementation and the different audiences and less on the scenario, as in all cases it appears to have similar characteristics.* Notably the inclusion of new visitors’ concerned adults and families rather than school groups. Additionally, LARP seems to be more successful when it is part of leisure programs, weekend events or celebration activities. *

An important element is the close collaboration between the museum and LARP group to create the script, as it shows willingness to interact and exchange expertise. The mutual difficulty / concern from both sides regarding the scientific validity that must be maintained within the fictional element of the scenario, is central to the overall development of the educational activity. As a result, dramatic elements do play a crucial role in game’s design while the museum space remains intact. This very fictionality though helps to highlight the constructedness of many of the museum narratives (Jackson and Kidd, 2007:2).*

The use of Larp in Greek museums, in an educational context, resembles more functionality games, as the time limit of educational activities does not permit the development of a full scale larp and it addresses to a group rather than to individuals. Similarities to teacher role play, which is also considered as a usual technique in drama education, are obvious. *

LARP includes as structural elements active participation and visitors’ motivation to engage in the program. Fear of scientific inaccuracy by both the company and the institution, as well as the programming of the event (no time for in depth discussions or debriefing), limits significantly the potential of LARP to allow multiple narratives and questioning on possible issues raised. Museums, while open to innovative ideas, hold a strict guideline in maintaining control over their narratives. *

Implementation of LARP in museums though, as proved in other educational uses of LARP, has the potential not only to engage visitors but also to promote critical thinking, to raise and deal with controversial issues. It would be interesting to see whether their development in the museum field will be able to exploit these capabilities contributing to an opening of the museum not only to new groups of visitors but also to new forms of dialogue on museum narratives We also hope that the image of Larp presented today based on the results of past research will be enriched with participants’ opinions in the next research phase.

Cannon-Brookes, P. (1991). Museums, theme parks and heritage experiences. Museum Management and Curatorship, 10(4).

Hughes, C., Jackson, A., & Kidd, J. (2007). The role of theater in museums and historic sites: Visitors, audiences, and learners. In International Handbook of Research in Arts Education (pp. 679-699). Springer Netherlands.

Jackson, A., & Kidd, J. (2007). Museum theatre": Cultivating Audience Engagement-a case study. Conference Paper at IDEA 6th World Congress, Hong Kong.

Müller, M. (2011). From subculture to mainstream. OMSLAGET ER EN SEPERAT FIL, 31.

Rognli, E. (2008). We are the great pretenders: larp is adult pretend play. Playground Worlds Creating and Evaluating Experiences of Role-Playing Games, 199.