Registration coming soon!


The inaugural Worlds in Play took place at ASU Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center in January 2024, and was celebrated as a paradigm-shifting field initiative for artists, producers and organizations.







“Worlds in Play embraced the participatory philosophy of immersive theater and games and made it a part of the conference itself.”





The Mint Experience! by Robert Farid Karimi

The inaugural Worlds in Play took place at ASU Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center in January 2024, and was celebrated as a paradigm-shifting field initiative for artists, producers and organizations.
Girl Mode by Kate McGee
Apple Avenue by Mister & Mischief

“Worlds in Play is what I’ve always wanted to see a conference or gathering be. It provides a fertile ground for creative experimentation and growth. I left feeling inspired and motivated to create new work. I have already started on a fruitful new collaboration that resulted directly from Worlds in Play. I know that Worlds in Play is going to spark growth, change and innovation in our industry.”
Arlo Howard
, Interactive and Immersive theatre and game creator and director
Every Day I’ll Hope by Siobhán O’Loughlin

“Worlds in Play was a phenomenal activation of my intellect, mind and heart. The diversity of perspectives and experiences generated a foundationally moving sequence of days. I made professional contacts I expect to collaborate with for the rest of my career, while also connecting with new friends who saw me. I felt safe to play among equals, well taken care of by the producers, and inspired by the innovative format and programming. I would recommend this event to everyone and anyone I know, and I have already referenced it almost non-stop since it ended. If I forget most of the things that happen in my life, these days and the memories we created are among those that will stick with me to the end.”
Henerasyon | Generation by Michaela Ternasky-Holland and Aaron Santiago
How It Ends by Caridad Svich
Heisenberg by Janani Balasubramanian
UnFiNiShEd aNiMaL: Party People by MX Oops and Eva Davidova

“Worlds in Play was a magical ride. I've never felt so connected to a community of strangers who, by the end of the week, became colleagues and friends.”
Creative Violence: Video Games, Devised Theater, and Motion Capture Strategies by Matt Romein
Apple Avenue by Mister & Mischief

“Worlds in Play is exactly what I've been waiting for—a gathering of intersectional people who are making transformational and beautiful work in this emerging field of immersive/interactive arts. Best of all, it's not just a gathering for talking and networking, but to engage deeply with work and practice with others.”
Caro Murphy
, interactive experience and live-action game designer

Larp: The Resort by Caro Murphy







“I am convinced that this conversation is one of the most essential we can be having in this confluence of fields. There are far-reaching ramifications of this new intersection of immersivity and interactivity.”

Jake Pinholster, Dean, College of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign






“Worlds in Play brought together a playful community around play we have all been craving. As producer, I am most proud of creating a space for artists and organizations to discover mutually empowered relationships that will sustain long beyond the gathering.”

Scarlett Kim, Co-Founder & Executive Creative Producer, Center for Unclassifiable Technologies and Experiences (C.U.T.E.)










Workshops

Jan 3-5, 2024 | 3 days of deep dive sessions

Choose-your-own-adventure through deep-dive workshops! A special invitation to all hardcore play practitioners and newcomers alike. Step into the artist’s studio as they develop new participatory work, and play a role in the making-of. Dive into intensives on creating experiences with agency at the center!



Amelia Winger-Bearskin and Tristan Winger Bearskin Sapphire Springs: Blue Beginnings
Andy and Jeff CrockerDescriptified: A Performance Lab (+Playtest!), Apple Avenue: A Playtest!
Arlo HowardMeaning-Making + Play
Caridad SvichHow It Ends
Caro MurphyDesigning for Agency, Larp: The Resort
Hortense GerardoPart 1: Brainwave Smackdown, Part 2: Incantation
Idris GoodwinJSonic and the Unknown Salon
Jake PinholsterSwim with the Fishes: Agency in Storytelling
Janani Balasubramanian and Natalie GosnellUndisciplined Play
Jennifer Kretchner and Gabe HicksImagining Inclusive, Anti-Ableist Worlds
John Agyepong and Alton GlassArts, Beats, and Tech, WTF (Where’s The Future): How Do I Unleash My Imagination
Laura Cechanowicz Atlas of an Unbroken World
Latoya PetersonHella Iambic: Toward an Integrated Live Experience, Do I Dare Disturb My Neighbor?: Disrupting Theatrical Norms
Manjari KumarappanSerious Play with LEGO
Michael RohdState of Mind: Participatory Theatre, Mental Health and Rural Communities, How Did We Get Here?
Michaela Ternasky-Holland and Aaron SantiagoHenerasyon | Generation
MX Oops and Eva DavidovaUnFiNiShEd aNiMaL: Party People
8th Wall HackathonSpecial Event







Summit

Jan 6-7, 2024 | weekend festival and conference

40+ participatory sessions throughout Saturday & Sunday celebrates a kaleidoscopic community of practitioners, researchers, producers, and entrepreneurs across game, theatre, and other immersive fields. Sessions include immersive performances, transmedia installations, games for solo players & games for hundreds of players, to killer parties and life-changing rituals.



Alex Coulombe and Kevin Laibson “LINE!” A VR Theatre Game and More: How Olde Theatre Traditions Make New Theater Innovations
Alex M. Lee and Erin GeeProject H.E.A.R.T.
Anne Hiatt and Kamala SankaramImmersive Opera: The Next Adventure in Musical Storytelling
Celia Pearce(Inter)Action Deck: A Generative Workshop
Dasha Kittredge The Art of Emotion: Moving Your Audience
Dustin Smith“Field Trip to the Nemesis Club: Escape Game Experience and Behind the Scenes Chat
Erin Reilly and Azalea LaredoInnovators Roundup: The Future of Commerce
Heidi Coleman (Fourcast Lab)Encounter: Towards Interactive, Improvisational, and Live-Streaming Performance
Janani BalasubramanianHeisenberg
Joanna GarnerPlease Open Your Mouth, Playing with Reality: Lessons from Designing ARG Experiences for Meow Wolf
Julian “joolz” StroopQuick Games w/ joolz: Building an Interactive Table
Juliana MorenoBest Practices for Playtesting Workshop
Kate McGeeGirl Mode, How to Make Your First VR Piece in 6 Months [Don’t]
All My Relations CollectiveTwo Spirit Ojibwe Constellation Bingo
Kristin McWharterHow to be A Good Sport
Matt RomeinCreative Violence: Video Games, Devised Theater, and Motion Capture Strategies
Mattie Brice/mundane/mythologies/speculative/intimacies/
Michael YichaoBuilding New Gameplay with GenAI
Noah NelsonUH OH IT’S GAME NIGHT!
Playable TheatrePlayable Theatre Town Hall
Rachel Joy Victor and Anna HensonThe Creative Production Pathways Workshop
Risa Puno and Ran XiaUnresolved Rage Game, a TTRPG Playtest and Workshop
Raul Zbengheci10KC
Robert KarimiThe Mint Experience!: UI, Worldbuilder, or How I Learned to Love the Non-Technological Sensorial Gestures That Created Booms of Deliciousness!
Ash Eliza Smith and Robert TwomeyInterspecies Communication Theater and Audio Spatial Larp
Siobhán O’LoughlinEvery Day I’ll Hope
Weidi ZhangReCollection
Zoyander StreetAssigned Earth at Birth (Intrapology)



Partners






Location


Worlds in Play 2024 was hosted by the ASU Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center.


The MIX Center is a state-of-the-art transdisciplinary hub and emerging media technologies center in Mesa, Arizona.



Jake Pinholster and Scarlett Kim
Co-Founders and Co-Producers, Worlds in Play




©2024—’25

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