This essay explores experiences of religion in role-playing games; table-top role-playing and live-action role-playing in the Nordic Larp and roleplay-tradition. Semi-structured interviews were used within an explorative qualitative method inspired by grounded theory. The informants were all role-players who each have acted as religious characters within the spheres of the games, half of the informants were non-religious and the other half religious to some extent. A model of three spheres was constructed for the analysis, consisting of Huizingas definition of play and Caillois critic of the aforementioned by adding Durkheims definition of religion, were both play and religion is viewed as something set apart from the ordinary world. The informant’s experiences of religion in role-play were then examined in the light of three separate spheres: the play, the ordinary world and religion. The study showed the importance of keeping the separation between the spheres intact and the players showed a desire to make play as authentic as possible, including the psychological experience, but emphasized that play never can be or should be perceived as equal to actual experience gained in one of the two other spheres.

This thesis examines how trans people explore gender in live action role-playing games (hereafter: larps). It asks how larps function as spaces for gender exploration, in what ways trans people explore and express gender in larps, as well as how they make sense of, and articulate, this exploration and expression. In addition, the thesis has the secondary aim of exploring the use of larp design as an embodied data collection method. The research design consisted of the larp (Lost and) FOUND which was designed for the participants to play as part of the study, followed by a focus group interview as well as individual semi-structured interviews. The materials used in the thesis are the transcribed interviews as well as the larp. Four trans larpers from Europe participated in the study. They were all part of a specific larping tradition called Nordic larp. Through the design of the larp (Lost and) FOUND, as well as the theoretical and methodological work that underpins it, this thesis develops the method Research with Design, and situates it in relation to other research methods that include design practice. It argues for the method’s applicability beyond this study for research projects where participants’ recollection of and reflections on the research subject is of interest.  The analysis of the interview data suggests that the framing produced by the magic circle of a larp under the right circumstances can support trans larpers in exploring gender in larps. In addition, the thesis argues that validation from other larpers is important for positive experiences of gender exploration, and that such validation is intricately tied to matters of intelligibility. Finally, it illustrates the implications of larping being an embodied activity, by discussing how this simultaneously provides certain opportunities for gender exploration, while complicating others.