Presentations
Academic Presentations
Lectures
Bowman, Sarah Lynne, and Kjell Hedgard Hugaas. 2024. “Play for Change? How to Design a Transformative Role-playing Game [English title].” Game Studies Campfire, China. YouTube, April 16.
Bowman, Sarah Lynne, and Kjell Hedgard Hugaas. 2023. “Philosophies of Psychological Safety in Analog Role-playing Game Discourses.” Paper presented at DiGRA Italia 2023: Analog Games in the Digital Age, December 4, 2023.
Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Josefin Westborg, Elektra Diakolambrianou, and Josephine Baird. “Developing a Master’s Curriculum in Transformative Analog Role-playing Game Design.” Presentation at Educators Summit, Gotland Game Conference, Uppsala University, Visby, Sweden, May 25, 2023.
Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Josephine Baird and Kaya Toft Thejls. “Euphoria: Role-playing Gender, Magic, and the Carnivalesque as Emergent Authenticity.” Presentation at Party! The 19th Annual Tampere University Game Research Lab Spring Seminar, Tampere, Finland, May 5, 2023.
Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Josefin Westborg, Doris C. Rusch, Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, and Kaya Toft Thejls. “Employing Educational Live Action Role-playing Games to Train Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration.” Presentation at Nordic DiGRA 2023: Interdisciplinary Embraces, Uppsala University, April 28, 2023.
Baird, Josephine, Sarah Lynne Bowman, and Kaya Toft Thejls. “Euphoria: Principles of Game Design for Exploring and Expressing Gender through Role-playing.” Presentation at Nordic DiGRA 2023: Interdisciplinary Embraces, Uppsala University, April 27, 2023.
“Transformative Role-playing Games for Growth in Academia.” Invited Lecture for Infinite Games, Learning Futures Group, Civil Service College, Singapore, January 27, 2023. Online.
Baird, Josephine, Kaya Toft Thejls, and Sarah Lynne Bowman. 2023. “Courting Euphoria: Designing for Trans and Diverse Gender Exploration, Expression, and Embodiment through Live Action Role-playing.” Paper presented at The 8th Nordic Trans Studies Conference 2023: From Transgender Rage to Trans Joy: Trans Studies through Affective Lens, Tampere, Finland. February 25, 2023.
“Game Studies and Game Design Syllabi.” Academic Teacher Training: Pedagogic Project Conference. Uppsala University, 2023.
Diakolambrianou, Elektra, and Sarah Lynne Bowman. 2022. “Dual Consciousness: What Psychology and Counseling Theories Can Teach and Learn Regarding Identity and the Role-Playing Game Experience.” Paper presented at 6th Coloquio Internacional de Estudios sobre Juegos de Rol: De la Simulación a la Inclusión Social. Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mérida, México (online).
Taraghi, Laila, Sarah Lynne Bowman, and Shirin Khosrospour. 2022. “Teaching Conflict Transformation Through Roleplaying.” Presentation at 10th Annual National Community College Peacebuilding Seminar, October 28. Forage Center. YouTube, (0:11:47-1:08:34)
Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Josefin Westborg, and Josephine Baird. 2022. “Analog Role-playing Games as Vehicles for Co-Creative Social Skill Development.” Paper presented at Ropecon Academic Seminar, Helsinki, Finland, July 29, 2022.
“Finding the Self in Role-playing Games: Weaving Myth, Narrative, and Identity.” Paper presented at Evolution of Story II: Unravelling the Hero’s Journey, June 23, 2022.
“‘Let’s Play a Love Game: Role-playing Intimacy and Relationships in Games.” Paper presented at Popular Culture Association, April 2022.
“Introduction to Identity and Role-Playing Games.” Invited Lecture for Red de Investigadores de Juegos de Rol (RIJR) y la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Feb. 26, 2022.
Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Josefin Westborg, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, Josephine Baird. 2021. “Agents of Empowerment: A Role-playing Game in Service of Cultivating a Soulful and Sustainable Academia.” Paper presented at the Gamification for Sustainable Development at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland. Online. December 15, 2021.
Diakolambrianou, Elektra, Josephine Baird, Josephine Westborg, and Sarah Lynne Bowman. 2021. “The Therapeutic Potential of Larp: Cognitive Considerations.” Poster/video presented at MET Conference: Neuroscience and Theater Therapy, Bucharest, Romania. Online. May 28, 2021.
Westborg, Josefin, Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, Sarah Lynne Bowman. “Higher Education for Edu-Larpers: The Transformative Play Initiative.” Presented at the Edu-Larp Conference in Oslo, Norway, October 4, 2021.
“Games of Personal Horror: Shadow Work and Role-playing Experiences.” Paper presented at Monstrosity: The 17th Annual Tampere University Game Research Lab Spring Seminar April 20-22, 2021.
“Researching Analog Role-playing Games: Difficulties and Approaches.” Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University, December 8, 2021.
“Using RPGs as Tools for Player Skill Development.” Leyline Geek Therapy Training, May 16, 2020.
“The Therapeutic Potential of Role-playing Games: An Overview.” Leyline Geek Therapy Training, March 14, 2020.
“Method Acting and Immersion into Character in Larp.” Paper presented at the Living Games Conference 2018, Peabody, MA, May 18, 2018.
“Designing for Varying Degrees of Participation.” Paper presented at the Edularp Oslo 2017, Oslo, Norway, Feb 2, 2017.
Bowman, Sarah Lynne, and Andhe Standiford. “Enhancing Healthcare Simulations and Beyond: Immersion Theory and Practice.” Paper presented at the Role-playing and Simulation in Education Conference, Texas State University, Round Rock, TX, May 19, 2016.
“Examining Immersion: An Overview of Theories from Game Studies and Beyond.” Paper presented at PCA/ACA National Conference, Seattle, WA, Mar. 22, 2016.
“Edu-Larp: A Literature Review.” Paper presented at the Edularp Conference Helsinki 2016, Helsinki, Finland, Mar. 8, 2016.
“The Method to our Madness: Establishing Connections between Role-playing and Acting.” Paper presented at the Popular Culture Association, New Orleans, LA, Apr. 1-4, 2015.
“Edu-Larp in the Middle School Classroom: A Case Study.” Paper presented at the RPG Summit at DiGRA 2014, Salt Lake City, UT, Aug. 3-6, 2014.
“Identity and Bleed in Role-play.” Paper presented at the Living Games Conference. NYU Game Center, Brooklyn, NY, Mar. 15, 2014.
“Infiltrating Boffer Larp with Drag: Challenging Gender Performance through Role-playing Games.” Paper presented at QGCon: Queerness in Games Conference, Berkeley, CA, 2014.
“Identity and Bleed in Role-playing Characters.” Paper video presented at the International Academic Larp Conference: Modern Society. Larp Methodologies. Problems and Perspectives, Minsk, Belarus, Nov. 23, 2013.
“The Benefits of Educational Larp.” Paper presented at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference 2013, Orlando, FL, Aug. 4, 2013.
“Edu-larp in the Classroom.” Paper presented at the National Association for Media Literacy Education Conference 2013, Torrance, CA, July 12, 2013.
“Examining the Intersection of Reality Television, Drag Queens, and Role-playing Characters in RuPaul’s Drag Race and Drag U.” Paper presented at the Popular Culture Association Annual Conference 2013, Washington, D.C., March 28, 2013.
“The Benefits of Live Action Role-playing as a Pedagogical Tool.” Paper presented at the Midwest Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Annual Conference 2013, Columbus, OH, Oct. 12, 2012.
“Social Conflict and Bleed in Role-playing Communities.” Paper presented at the Roleplaying in Games Seminar, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland, Apr. 11, 2012.
“Ascensionism in Fantasy/Science Fiction, Role-Playing Games, and Modern Religious Mythologies.” Paper presented at the Popular Culture Association Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX, Apr. 20, 2011.
“Jungian Theory and Immersive Role-Playing Games.” Paper presented at the Northeast Modern Language Association Annual Conference 2011, New Brunswick, NJ, Apr. 9, 2011.
“The Evolution of Character in Fantasy Role-playing Games.” Paper presented at the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference 2009, New Orleans, LA, Apr. 8, 2009.
“A History of Role-playing Games.” Paper presented at the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference 2008, San Francisco, CA, Mar. 22, 2008.
“The Great Mother Archetype in Classic and Contemporary Fantasy Fiction.” Paper presented at the MythCon XXXVIII. UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, Aug. 4, 2007.
“The Function of Sorrow in Fantasy Fiction.” Paper presented at the Southwest/Texas Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Regional Conference 2007, Albuquerque, NM, Feb. 14, 2007.
“Scenario Building: Science Fiction and Fantasy as Mastery of the Unknown.” Paper presented at the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference 2006, Atlanta, GA, Apr. 14, 2006.
“Some Slip of a Girly-boy from Communist East Berlin’: Hedwig as Transgendered, Transcultural, and Transnational Icon.” Paper presented at the Trans/National Film and Literature: Cultural Production and the Claims of History, Conference on Literature and Film, Tallahassee, FL, Jan. 28, 2005.
“‘We Only Come Out at Night’: An Overview of Vampire Role-playing.” Paper presented at the Vampires Conference: Myths and Metaphors of Enduring Evil, Budapest, Hungary, May 24, 2003.
Panels and Roundtables
“Learning with Computers How Not to Be a Robot.” Roundtable at Playful By Design: Transformative Approaches to Game Studies, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal, January 8, 2024.
Crispino, Azzurra, Erin Bannen, and Sarah Lynne Bowman. “Boundaries and Borders: How Safe Do They Keep Us?” Roundtable at the Philosophy, Religion, and Humanities Forum. November 20, 2019.
“Educational Role-playing and the Medieval Period.” Roundtable presentation at the 29th Annual Conference of the Texas Medieval Association, San Marcos, TX, October 19, 2019.
“Games Academia 101: A Primer for Junior Academics.” Panel at the Living Games Conference 2018, Peabody, MA, May 19, 2018.
“Are You Game? A Look at the History of Gaming Across Time and Cultures.” Panel at the Philosophy Forum, Austin Community College, Austin, TX, Sept. 8, 2017.
Popular Presentations
Keynotes
“Integrating Larp Experiences.” Keynote presented at Solmukohta 2020 (online). April 2, 2020.
Lectures
Westborg, Josefin, Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, Sarah Lynne Bowman. “The Transformative Play Initiative: A Research and Education Report.” Presented at Knutpunkt in Linköping, Sweden, September 10, 2022.
Westborg, Josefin, Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, Sarah Lynne Bowman. “The Transformative Play Initiative: A Research and Education Report.” Presented at PoRtal Conference (online), Krakow, Poland, June 26, 2022.
Westborg, Josefin, Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, Sarah Lynne Bowman. “The Transformative Play Initiative.” Presented at the Knutepunkt Conference in Oslo, Norway, October 8, 2021.
“Ritualizing Role-play to Manage Bleed.” Lecture presented at World of Darkness Berlin. Berlin, Germany, May 12, 2017.
“Edu-Larp: A Literature Review.” Lecture presented at Solmukohta 2016, Helsinki, Finland, Mar. 12, 2016.
“Social Conflict in Role-playing Communities.” Lecture presented at Intercon M 2013, Chelmsford, MA, Mar. 1, 2013.
“Social Conflict in Role-playing Communities.” Lecture presented at the New England LARP Convention 2012, Chelmsford, MA, July 21, 2012.
“Social Conflict in Role-playing Communities.” Lecture presented at the Tri Wyrd Annual Interactive Theater Convention, Costa Mesa, CA, Jun. 23, 2012.
“Social Conflict and Bleed in Role-playing Communities version 2.0.” Lecture presented at the Solmukohta Annual Live Action Role-Playing Conference 2012, Nurmijärvi, Finland, Apr. 14, 2012.
“Understanding ‘Bleed’ in Character and Player Interactions.” Lecture presented at the Two Wyrd Annual Interactive Theater Convention, Costa Mesa, CA, Jun. 11, 2011.
“Shifting Identities in Role-Playing Games.” Lecture presented at the Two Wyrd Annual Interactive Theater Convention, Costa Mesa, CA, Jun. 11, 2011.
“Social Conflict and Bleed in Role-playing Games.” Lecture presented at the Knudepunkt Annual Live Action Role-Playing Conference 2011, Helsinge, Denmark, Feb. 19, 2011.
Panels
Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, and Áron Birtalan. 2021. “Role-playing for Transformation.” Knutepunkt Magic Program, March 13, 2021.
“Consent in Gaming.” Panel at Save Against Fear 2020, October 11, 2020.
“Safety and Calibration Tools in Gaming.” Panel at Bramblecon 2020, Twitch, May 9, 2020.
“Spirituality and Transformational Role-playing.” Panel at the Living Games Conference 2018, Peabody, MA, May 20, 2018.
“Bleed Management, De-roling, and Debriefing.” Panel at the Living Games Conference 2018, Peabody, MA, May 19, 2018.
“Getting Started in Games Writing.” Panel at World of Darkness Berlin, Berlin, Germany, May 12, 2017.
“Safety and Calibration Techniques in Larp.” Panel at the Knutepunkt 2017, Oslo, Norway, Feb 25, 2017.
“The Art of the Table: GMing Beyond the Basics.” Panel at the Penny Arcade Expo PAX South, San Antonio, TX, January 28, 2017.
“Crisis Management: Policy, Deliberation, Decision Making.” Panel at the Living Games Conference 2016, Austin, Texas, May 22, 2016.
“Organic Plot: The Importance and Integration of Player-Driven Plot.” Panel at Wyrd Con 6, Costa Mesa, CA, Sept. 25, 2015.
“Problems with Drama? It Might Actually Be Bleed in Disguise.” Panel at Wyrd Con 6, Costa Mesa, CA. Sept. 25, 2015.
“Creating Safer Spaces for Play.” Panel at Intercon 0 2015, Chelmsford, MA, Feb. 24, 2015.
“Nordic Larp: Demo of Concepts.” Panel at Intercon 0 2015, Chelmsford, MA, Feb. 24, 2015.
“Larp and Learning.” Panel at Intercon 0 2015, Chelmsford, MA, Feb. 24, 2015.
“Larp Theory 101.” Panel at Intercon 0 2015, Chelmsford, MA. Feb. 24, 2015.
“North American and Nordic Larp Exchange.” Panel videoconference at KOLA IV Larp Conference, Katowice, Poland, Jan. 3, 2015.
“Gamer Tribalism.” Panel at Wyrd Con 2014, Los Angeles, CA, May 22-26, 2014.
“Difficult Game Content and Communal Responsibility.” Panel at Intercon N 2014, Chelmsford, MA, Feb. 27, 2014.
“The Psychology of Character.” Panel at Intercon N 2014, Chelmsford, MA, Feb. 27, 2014.
“The Wyrd Con Companion Book.” Panel at Intercon N 2014, Chelmsford, MA. Feb. 27, 2014.
“Game Theory 101: Basic Theory and Game Mechanics” and “Game Theory 201: Advanced Theory.” Panels at the RTX Gaming Conference 2013, Austin, TX, July 6-7, 2013.
“Mad About America.” Panel at the Knutepunkt Annual Live Action Role-Playing Conference 2013. Haraldvangen, Norway, Apr. 19, 2013.
“Introduction to Nordic Larp.” Panel at Intercon M 2013, Chelmsford, MA, Mar. 1, 2013.
“Larp and Learning.” Panel at Intercon M 2013, Chelmsford, MA, Mar. 1, 2013.
“The Wyrd Con Companion Book.” Panel at Intercon M 2013. Chelmsford, MA. Mar. 1, 2013.
“Gaming Grows Up: The Evolution of Modern Gaming.” Panel at Penny Arcade Expo PAX Prime, Seattle, WA, September 1, 2012.
