I think an awful lot of us were 'the fat kid' or some version thereof. These days I am 36 years old and have managed to build a version of myself that I'm pretty happy with and can usually project confidence (I also note that role playing in general and live role playing in particular were really big parts of that process), but that is a very long way from where I was at school. Despite which, it doesn't take much to reduce a seemingly confident, happy, capable person to feeling like that geeky kid who everyone is laughing at again.
The greatest thing about larp IMO is that it gives someone the chance to be the hero they wish they were, the person who everyone respects. In my ideal scenario, once someone realises they can play this person, they also realise they can be like that in real life too. It can take the person who never dares speak up because all they expect is for the cool kids to laugh at them and help them see a new side to themself. To a large extent it did that for me.
So that is my manifesto for larp at its best- offering not just escapism and fun but a chance for people to make an improvement in the quality of their real life. Conversely, if people behave in a way which knocks others back for OC issues and makes them feel like they are excluded- that would be larp at its worst.
I'd far rather come away from a game where a few people had not pulled their blows and left my body bruised than one where I'd been made to feel emotionally worthless. One of them has a lot less effect on my journey through life.
Agreed, on all counts (speaking as a confident, happy, lean, fit, 41-year-old who used to be a fat, asthmatic, bullied teenager).
It does have to be said that there things that happen in LRP that can leave players feeling emotionally worthless, without that having been anyone's intent. That's not an excuse for the frequently thoughtless actions & words of some players, though -- it should be possible for all LRPers to be at least a little bit sensitive to others' experiences and perceptions, even in a PVP game.
The greatest thing about larp IMO is that it gives someone the chance to be the hero they wish they were, the person who everyone respects. In my ideal scenario, once someone realises they can play this person, they also realise they can be like that in real life too. It can take the person who never dares speak up because all they expect is for the cool kids to laugh at them and help them see a new side to themself. To a large extent it did that for me.
So that is my manifesto for larp at its best- offering not just escapism and fun but a chance for people to make an improvement in the quality of their real life. Conversely, if people behave in a way which knocks others back for OC issues and makes them feel like they are excluded- that would be larp at its worst.
I'd far rather come away from a game where a few people had not pulled their blows and left my body bruised than one where I'd been made to feel emotionally worthless. One of them has a lot less effect on my journey through life.
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It does have to be said that there things that happen in LRP that can leave players feeling emotionally worthless, without that having been anyone's intent. That's not an excuse for the frequently thoughtless actions & words of some players, though -- it should be possible for all LRPers to be at least a little bit sensitive to others' experiences and perceptions, even in a PVP game.
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Sorry you didn't have the best event, Simon.
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