Work in the field of participatory culture, dominated by analytical attention to the Nordic School of live role-playing games (larps).
Game criticism, theory and documentation
Lead editor and one of the contributors to Koljonen, Johanna, Jaakko Stenros, Anne Serup Grove, Aina D. Skjørnsfjell, and Elin Nilsen, eds. 2019. Larp Design: Creating Role-Play Experiences. Copenhagen: Landsforeningen Bifrost.
Author, with Tiina Kuustie and Tiinaliisa Multamäki, of the unique book-length larp documentation Dragonbane – The Legacy, Dragon Dawn, Sodankylä 2008. Download pdf.
Essays on game design and game criticism:
“Larp Safety Design Fundamentals.” Japanese Journal of Analog Role-Playing Game Studies, 1: 3e-19e. 2020. Available here.
“Carolus Rex. The Flagship of Enclosed Space Opera.” in Markus Montola and Jaakko Stenros, eds: Nordic Larp, Fëa Livia 2010. Available here.
“En Stilla Middag Med Familjen. First Person Bourgeois Drama.” in Markus Montola and Jaakko Stenros, eds: Nordic Larp, Fëa Livia 2010. Available here.
“Dragonbane. Tangible Fantasy, Plausible Magic.” (with Tiinaliisa Multamäki) in Markus Montola and Jaakko Stenros, eds: Nordic Larp, Fëa Livia 2010. Available here.
Introduction to the catalogue for Game Continent at the Aros Modern Museum in Aarhus. Game Continent was a 2010 work by Anders Bojen and Kristoffer Ørum.
’The Dragon Was the Least of It: Dragonbane and LARP as Ephemera and Ruin’, Montola & Stenros (eds): Playground Worlds. Creating and Evaluating Experiences of Role-Playing Games. Ropecon ry, 2008. Full book pdf right here.
‘Eye-Witness to the Illusion. On the Impossibility of 360° Role-Playing’, Donnis, Gade, & Thorup (eds): Lifelike. Knudepunkt 2007, 2007. Download pdf.
‘I could a tale unfold whose lightest word would harrow up thy soul. Lessons from Hamlet’, Montola & Stenros (eds): Beyond Role and Play. Tools, Toys and Theory for Harnessing the Imagination. Ropecon ry 2004. Download pdf.
‘Why do bad LARPS happen to good people?’, Gade, Thorup & Sander (eds): As Larp Grows Up. Theory and Methods in Larp, Projektgruppen KP03, 2003. Download pdf (full book).
Founder, with Jaakko Stenros, and editor in chief of the panclou role-playing game fanzine (1997-), which had a formative effect on the early developments of the live role-playing theory movement in the Nordic Countries.
Contributor to Roolipelaaja and Playground Magazines.
Game design and writing
Was one of the head writers for the 9-part Fenris campaign of multi-language (with Swedish dominating) fantasy live role playing games in Finland 1995-1999. This was formally set in the collaborative Korpinmaa game universe run by Korpin Klaani (Clan Raven).
Has contributed character writing to several larps by others.
Johanna Koljonen 