The book is divided into three sections. Community and Journalism includes articles on role-player communities written particularly with an eye for approachability. Art and Design covers role-play as the product of a creative process, exposing philosophies and intentions behind specific role-playing works while providing advice and guidance for prospective designers. The Research and Theory section focuses on recent advances in analytic and academic thought on role-play. We are hoping that this structure makes the book useful both for random readers and dedicated theory junkies.

The book covers all kinds of role-playing games from the latest avant-garde Nordic live action role-playing games to the history of British action style larps in last 25 years, and from Forge style indie games to jeepform, Happenings and child's play.

For example, John H. Kim gives a primer on the American parlor larps, short one shot larp scenarios. Heidi Hopeametsä analyses the experience of playing Ground Zero as reflected in the post-game written debriefs. Malik Hyltoft reports how the experimental "Role-Players' Boarding School", Østerskov Efterskole, has functioned in its first 18 months. Playground Worlds also documents some of the most interesting larps of the last few years (Totem, Dragonbane, Frail Realities and many others).

Playground Worlds is the latest book in a series of collection that have documented Nordic and international trends in larp. Several new themes emerged this year. Firstly, the staging of larps has previously been discussed mostly as an artistic activity. This year a number of authors have decided to approach the more practical side of project management. Secondly, while the one belief that most role-playing cultures around the globe subscribe to is that role-playing games are not children's play, most are willing to concede that there are important similarities. Two papers explore these connections. Finally, two papers attempt to find ways to capture lightning in a bottle: they discuss criticism and documentation of larp.

You can download a pdf that contain the first page of each article from www.ropecon.fi/pw. The pages also feature a number of pictures from the book.

(At the moment the actual page is still hosted in a different location and only redirected from the address above. Still, please link through the above address as that will be the permanent address.)