Student Game Archive: Transformative Game Design
This archive contains role-playing games developed for transformative purposes by students in the Transformative Game Design Certificate Track.
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The Monster’s Last Request (2023) by Chance J. Feldstein
The Monster’s Last Request is an educational American freeform larp designed to promote empathy-based decision making (or ethics of care). Each group of players must decide how their six forest animals will handle a dying mother bear and her cub. The game is mainly for an ethics or science class of 10-11 year olds. Its primary themes are stereotypes and prejudice; sustainability of ecosystems; and end-of-life care. Teachers should emphasize whichever of these themes is most suitable for their class.
Content advisory: animal, sibling, & parental death; adoption; fatal injury; terminal illness
Download The Monster’s Last Request here.
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Take the Star Out of the Window by Kjell Hedgard Hugaas
Take The Star Out of The Window is a nano-larp about war. It is not a game about war itself,
but rather what happens to families in times of war. It is set specifically in the US, as
mainstream US entertainment has shaped the understanding of what war looks like to many
of us who have grown up in the western world post WW2. This portrayal of perpetual warfare
on foreign soil has persisted through the decades as the theaters of war have changed:
Korea, Vietnam, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc… This nano game is centered on one US
family, and the effect of war (and propaganda) on them specifically. In the game the players
will play the Johnson’s, a family with a long and proud history of military service that
stretches all the way back to the American Revolutionary War of 1775-1783.
The game is created as an attempt to provide players with a deeper emotional connection to a
type of warfare that is almost an abstraction of what we imagine when we think about war. It
seems clear to me that this normalization of perpetual war comes at a price, even though
large parts of society seem to not consider this. The name of the larp refers to the practice of
families hanging service banners on display in their windows to signal that one or more of
their family members are currently serving in the military.
Download Take the Star Out of the Window here.
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Metaphorphosis by Gabe Sopocy
Aunt Dorian, a well-known elder in the queer community, has passed away, leaving behind a cryptic
poem. Players depict the four people closest to Dorian translating the poem’s metaphors into
biographical prose. Translating Dorian’s final message, players will explore what it’s like to undergo
a profound transformation, to experience rejection and acceptance, and to survive by redefining the
meaning of family on one’s own terms.
Content Warning
Death, grieving, transphobia, homophobia, self-harm. These themes could be latent rather than
explicit, but players should be aware they may emerge.
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The Chains of Change – An Escape Zoom Game by Mikael Holmlund
You have been imprisoned in a mysterious magical prison (which looks like the room you play the game in). Someone has accused you of crimes that you may or may not be guilty of, but at least you realize you have done things that someone considers to be a crime. Something has just changed in the way the prison works; you can now see other prisoners (the other players) in other cells. The game begins when you get contact with other prisoners. By interacting with them, you may find your own way out of imprisonment. You can perhaps escape both mentally and physically.
Download The Chains of Change here.
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We Belong … Together – Alexandra Schreiber
Museums are a special site to interact with history and culture and to provide visitors with the space and artifacts to connect with own stories and interpretations of what curators aim to tell. Museums can provide a vibrant space where culture comes to life through displayed artifacts, which were created by humans across time and geographical regions. This makes them a great space to explore culture and communication across time and space. We Belong … Together is a nano-game for 4 – 5 players that takes place in a virtual museum. It can be played online or in person, as stand-alone and as a way to explore cultural connections in educational settings across disciplines.