NYC Gazette

A group of students recently participated in a unique classroom experience involving an experimental live-action role-playing game called White Death. The game, part of the course "Divergent Experiments: Role-Playing on the Margins," was designed by Simon Steen Hansen and Nina Runa Essendrop in 2012. Professor Sharang Biswas introduced the two-hour session by stating, “This is the weirdest game you will play this semester.”

The class took place at 370 Jay Street in Brooklyn, chosen for its ability to meet the game's lighting and sound requirements. Students began as humans in a "Light Area" with the aim of transforming into "White Ones" who inhabit a "Dark Area." Each participant selected random restrictions and relations to guide their gameplay. The game featured symbolic items like white balloons and ribbons, accompanied by specific sounds and music, including tracks from Tom Waits.

“The miserable, lonely humans transform into White Ones, who are happy and free,” Biswas explained during the warm-up session. He encouraged students not to overthink but to be impulsive as they engaged with this abstract form of art.

The course aims to deepen students' understanding of game aesthetics while honing analytical skills through practical engagement with games. “This class is about playing the game and experiencing art,” Biswas said. He emphasized that reading or watching recordings does not equate to experiencing the actual gameplay.

Biswas has offered this two-credit course every fall since 2021, incorporating lectures, discussions, readings, journal entries, and gameplay each week. He noted that students must play critically and connect their experiences with assigned readings: “Their task is to play critically, to connect the games with the readings we’re doing."

After participating in White Death, students engaged in animated discussions about their strategies and reactions. Biswas highlighted the importance of art education: “This is why art school is so important. There are some types of art that are challenging to experience without the backing of an institution.” He expressed satisfaction in introducing students to such challenging forms of art through his class.