Crossposted from Neurodiversity NPO. Read the full article here.
Critical Hit: Live Action Role Play, Collaborative Game Spaces, and Neurodivergent Flourishing
This essay is based on the dialogue from our seventh webinar, “Critical Hit: Live Action Role Play, Collaborative Game Spaces, and Neurodivergent Flourishing“.
Introduction
When people hear the words live-action role-play (larp), they often imagine elaborate fantasy costumes, mock battles, or immersive worlds inspired by medieval fiction. Yet beneath these imaginative settings lies something much more profound: an environment where people collectively negotiate social rules, relationships, emotions, and identities. Rather than simply providing entertainment, larps offer a space in which participants can safely explore new ways of being with others.
This possibility formed the central theme of the final webinar of the Neurodiversity Potential Study Group (NeuPoteKen). Moderated by Dr. Rua M. Williams, a disability and technology researcher at Purdue University, the session brought together researcher Dr. Björn-Ole Kamm and clinical psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Kilmer. Their discussion explored how collaborative role-playing spaces can foster neurodivergent flourishing—not because they eliminate difference, but because they intentionally create environments where different ways of thinking, communicating, and relating become possible.
This article is based on the dialogue and discussions from the eighth webinar of the Neurodiversity Potential Study Group (NeuPoteKen), held on March 17, 2026 (March 18 in Japan).
