When I mention LARPing to someone, the response I usually get is “Excuse you”. Excuse me? No, excuse you good sir for I feel bad that you have not been able to experience the eye opening experience you could have LARPing. Most people when they hear about LARPing they instantly become condescending and judgmental. Funny thing is… I’m not getting the looks like I did five years ago.

LARP stands for Live Action Role Play. LARPing began in the 1970s and although no one can agree to where this term was coined or who exactly thought it up we do know that the first game recorded began in 1977 in Washington DC in the United States. Players who partake in a LARP call themselves LARPers. Eh, so what? I can easily find that on the LARPing wiki right? But read it again… LARPing has been around for 30+ years. This ‘idea’ has been around for a long period of time and this ‘idea’ has not been played around with since then. For one, and the most obvious, the name for it hasn’t changed, LARP. Live Action Role Play can stand for anything that you role play in person. The board game Clue, that murder mystery dinner you attended, and even the Rocky Horror Picture Show play you dressed up for last week. The dated name doesn’t even accurately describe what we’re accomplishing these days. Along with the name, the concept is the same; gather in a large group, role play, engage in some combat made of plumbing supplies if you’re lucky, save the damsel in distress if you’re luckier and role play some more. There are different factors weighing in for each LARP but it is essentially the same thing!

Imagine when Playstation came out. Now imagine if the creators became lazy and said “Hell, it’s a good enough system for now and even though we have the means to make it better we’re going leave it alone.” No, can’t imagine it? Even thinking about it hurts? Well this concept is the exact concept that has set root in so many LARP games. They become so set in their ways that they refuse to improve their LARP and take the easy route by being lazy. The current players are not helping. They are content as they trod through the original version of Playstation, whacking the zombie they saw last month and trying to find the same key the Inn Keeper just can’t seem to hold on to. With this lazy mind set LARPs are turning out the same generic story lines and same generic monsters. While players expectations are growing. They are seeing all these award winning, ground breaking, action packed fantasy movies with amazing special effects and interesting thought out story lines. Don’t even get me started on the beautiful actors and million dollar budgets.

LARPs are filling up with either the older generation who are satisfied with a bare bones game due to playing D&D most of their lives or filling up with a young crowd where all they want to do is hit people with swords. And then, there is the generation between these two that are willing to go all out, put hundreds of dollars into a costume, buy a brand new latex weapon and take days to get into character. But if they are going to put in that much effort, well, the game they are attending better do the same.

Recently players have been jumping from LARP to LARP and were becoming increasingly disappointed with their favorite hobby that they’ve played for years. Now they are deciding to take LARPing into their own hands. Games are popping up all over the World with efforts in making things better. From Steampunk to video game LARPs and some games are even coming up with new terms such as IGE (Interactive Gaming Environment) believing that LARP does not accurately describe these new games coming out. The people that are going to take the risk and the effort, they are going to change the face of LARPing. Special effects and thought out plot lines are taking effect while costumes are continuing to become better and weapons looking more realistic. The diversity of players is also growing to include police officers, veterinarians and the local mail man but the solid gamers are still present. Now we just need the rest of the games out there to realize that this is a time for change and instead of criticizing it, run with it people. We need to run with it and fly!