What if your lecture turns into an adventure?
Our working group develops EduLARP (Educational Live Action Role-Playing) projects for higher education. EduLARP is an innovative teaching method that combines elements of live action role-play with educational content. Students assume different roles and act within an interactive scenario based on real or fictional circumstances. In doing so, they solve tasks aligned with the learning objectives e.g. of a lecture. In an EduLARP students make decisions, and experience the educational content actively rather than receiving it passively by listening to a lecturer.
A central advantage of EduLARP compared to traditional teaching formats is its high level of immersion. Through direct experience and active participation, educational content is retained more effectively in memory. In addition, this method promotes soft skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking—competencies that are essential in many professional fields.
Moreover, EduLARP offers a practice-oriented approach that connects theory with application. While traditional lectures often remain abstract, EduLARP enables an immediate and embodied experience of subject-specific knowledge in a dynamic context. This not only increases student motivation but also strengthens their ability to apply complex concepts in real-world situations.
Why venture into adventure?
EduLARP offers many benefits as a method for academic teaching. Here are just three key advantages:
Active Learning
EduLARP transforms students from passive listeners into active participants, enhancing engagement and retention by allowing them to experience concepts firsthand.
Experiential Understanding
By immersing students in story-driven scenarios, complex ideas and abstract theories become tangible and easier to understand.
Communicate and Collabortate
EduLARP encourages teamwork, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, fostering a learning environment that goes beyond individual study.
So, you call yourselves adventurers…?
Larp 4 Lectures is a non commercial working group at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, founded in fall 2025. Our group is composed of lecturers and higher education pedagoges from different faculties of our institution. Our goal is to explore and establish EduLARP as an innovative teaching method within higher education.
To achieve this, we…
lecturers, educators, and LARP enthusiasts
The team embarking on this adventure.
Professor of Business Informatics
Wolfram Ludwig
Prof. Dr. Wolfram Ludwig is a Professor of Business Informatics at the Faculty of Computer Science at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences. As a lecturer, he continuously explores innovative teaching methods that go beyond traditional lectures. Drawing on over 30 years of experience as a live-action role-player, regularly participating in national and international LARPs, he incorporates immersive LARP approaches to create engaging and interactive learning experiences.
Educational Developer
Andrea Bode
Andrea Bode is an Educational Developer at the Center for Successful Teaching and Learning at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences. Her work centers on innovative learning designs, agile methodologies in higher education, and game-based learning. Drawing on 15 years of live-action role-playing, she focuses on immersive, story-driven and role-play-based teaching formats that enhance engagement, reflection on learning processes and learning outcomes.
PROFESSOR OF E-BUSINESS AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Denis Royer
Prof. Dr. Denis Royer is a Professor of E-Business and Digital Transformation at the Faculty of Business at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences. His teaching and research focus on experiential, competence-oriented learning environments, drawing from his extensive experience with pen-and-paper role-playing games, gamification, and serious play methodologies.
While a more recent contributor to live-action role-playing discourse, he brings a strong background in narrative design, collaborative problem-solving, and playful learning formats. In his courses and workshops, he integrates elements of game-based interaction, immersive scenarios, and creative facilitation to enhance engagement and deepen understanding—bridging classical role-play traditions with modern approaches to LARP-inspired learning.
PROJECT EXAMPLE “CHAIR WARS”
Unlock the hidden quest behind every desk.
An EduLARP on project management.
Chair Wars is an EduLARP developed by Larp4Lectures in cooperation with EpicEducation. It was created for a lecture on project management at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences. The simulation highlights a key insight from project practice: the success or failure of projects often depends less on technical factors and more on human ones. Interpersonal dynamics, communication challenges, and conflicting motivations can greatly influence how projects unfold—and whether they ultimately succeed.
In Chair Wars, participants simulate the relocation of staff in a medium-sized company to a new office building. Their main task is to plan the new seating arrangement while navigating competing interests, priorities, and personalities. Typical success and failure factors are represented through distinct character profiles, allowing participants to experience firsthand how individual behavior, teamwork, and decision-making affect project outcomes.
By embodying these roles, students gain a deeper understanding of the human dimension of project management—learning not only about methods and processes but also about the complex social interactions that determine real-world success.
Chair Wars is available to other academic institutions free of charge. Please contact Larp4Lectures if you would like to implement Chair Wars at your institution or company.
Would you like to join us on our quest?
We are always looking for passionate students, lecturers, educators, and LARP enthusiasts to collaborate with our working group in developing new EduLARPs.
We can’t wait to welcome you to our team!
Are you a student?
As a student of Ostfalia: Join our group to explore how EduLARP can enhance your learning experience. By participating, you can help shape new teaching formats for the courses you attend and contribute ideas for improving lectures at Ostfalia. You could even write your bachelor’s or master’s thesis on EduLARP in cooperation with our working group.
Are you a lecturer?
Join forces with fellow Ostfalia colleagues to create and implement EduLARPs for your lectures or seminars. Our working group offers a collaborative space to exchange ideas, develop concepts, and experiment with cutting-edge teaching methods.
Are you a LARP enthusiast?
We warmly welcome members from other national and international academic institutions to collaborate and exchange ideas, helping to establish EduLARP as a recognized teaching method in higher education. We also invite LARP designers and practitioners from outside the university to join us in joint projects, fostering collaborations that bring together artistic, educational, and research-oriented perspectives.