Where do you find beauty in larp?

How to create larp in the intersection of politics and emergent play?

How to design for player desires and make larp while avoiding burnout?

Engines of Desire is a collection of 31 articles and essays about larp by Juhana Pettersson. Many of the texts have been published before and there are nine new articles as well as a foreword by the game researcher Dr. Jaakko Stenros. The book’s essays span twenty years of Nordic larp. The perspective is that of a larp designer, a player, a member of the Nordic community of play.

Larp is an ephemeral artform by its very nature, making the historical record formed by articles and photos especially important. Pettersson’s over twenty years of experience with Nordic larp spans an intensely creative time of change and growth in the community, mapped through the essays as they grapple with different subjects.

Thanks to the books published each year along with the Knutepunkt conference, the Nordic community of larp design has documented its own ideas for over two decades. Pettersson has written for most of these books and these essays form the backbone of this collection as well.

The writing in Engines of Desire is always grounded in concrete play or organizing experience. The essays grapple with issues arising from things that happen in play, the problems of real larpmaking, and the essential emergent nature of the medium. They’re written from the position of participating in the community of Nordic larp and also touch upon issues such as the personal sacrifices of making larp in terms of mental health.