Valha11a: Agency and Genre in Emergent Virtual Larp
Amanda Rose Villarreal, Bella Poynton, Gaby Martineau · Journal of dramatic theory and criticism · 2021
When COVID-19 created barriers to sharing physical space, Otherworld Theatre and Moonrise Games created Valha11a, an emergent sci-fi larp performed using Zoom as an interactive platform.Three creators of Valha11a apply PAR methodology to interrogate the intended and unintended consequences of relocating larp performance online.We analyze the ways in which Zoom impacts players' agency in the performance; production management and facilitation of play; and genre verisimilitude.In this way, we establish a new nexus of ideas within and around larp performance, namely that mediatized larp can serve as a framework for a potentially more intimate, emotionally rich participant experience.