Inner Workings: Larp Research Part 2

Finally! Just got the grade back from the class and got a Solid A for my research on LARPers and the Escapism that goes along with it. Feel Free to read it and comment (cough)orsubscribetomyblog(cough)

Live Action Role-Players

A Study of Escapism

David Scott Tremback

11/26/2010

Anthropology

I was given a great opportunity to be invited into a world that I did not quite understand. I often don’t see many subcultures especially of the often reserved nature of the Gaming culture. I was extremely interested in the concept of Escapism. Escapism is in essence the same idea as trance like states or immersion. Video games often have simulated escapism with visuals and first person perspective cameras to trick your mind into believing you are in these virtual settings. I was to delve into the world of the Live Action Role Players or LARP. A group of gamers that originated out of the Dungeons and Dragons who came up with the concept to actually play out the fantasy roles like actors would. So what does it mean to truly immerse yourself into a world that doesn’t even exist without the aid of technology? Why do they do it in the first place? With those questions in my mind and only a touch of knowledge of how these games work, I packed my bags and headed to the mountains.

I arrived about ten hours early, misreading the invitation email sent to me; I decided to do a survey of the area. The location took place into the mountains that was cleared a little for lodges and other residences. Among the two main lodges, they had eight smaller cabins that the players would stay in. The area is on a three tiered mountain range, the lower range had three of the cabins, the middle had the main lodge and another of the cabins, and lastly the top tier had the rest of the cabins and I was later informed the open space up there is the majority of where the game takes place. The roads were heavily damaged by rain erosion from the previous weeks before hand and were quite hard to travel up even by car. Although the rain had given the air a nice refreshing feeling, if not a bit cool as well. Near the top tier was also a dog park which was frequented by non-players. I left the area for the time being before returning to meet the people.

I came back later entering the lodge which I was immediately corrected that for the players they refer it as the tavern, or a place for the players to congregate and gather more players to go on adventures with. I was greeted with a very overwhelming courtesy. All of the players I first met were still in their street clothes. Later on, more players had shown up already dressed in costume. I could experience my first signs of culture shock as I saw many of the strangest over the top costumes. Elves, Orcs, Medieval knights and even some people who look dressed like Thunder Cats.

Soon the opening meeting started which gave an introduction of important people. The main story tellers of the game are referred to as “Plot.” I was informed in one of my interviews that these major players create the world in which the rest are playing in. They come up with the different cities and what happens “In the bigger picture” of the world. Examples of what the world leaders are doing or what coming evil is bearing down on the city the players are in. The Plot had also told me that the players would also create their own stories within the “bigger picture” story which gives the environment a lot more depth than just what Plot could come up with. Watching the Plot I couldn’t help but think that they are the least immersed people in the entire game. They spend most of their time reading some of their prewritten scripts. Most of them spend a lot of time in their own plot cabin planning for the next encounters for the majority.

By the end of the opening meeting there were two new members who needed to create their characters. I sat in during the creation; excited to see how new players begin the experience. Most of it was setting up the technical side of the game by selecting what each of the players can actually do, like creating spells or how much damage they do during battles. Later on they finished dressing up in their costumes and were guided by one of the Plot. They start their escapism by “re-entering” the area as their character would. This to me felt like a sort of exiting reality spiritual practice to immerse yourself into a further into a make believe world.

Soon after the meeting I was able to view the first roleplaying encounter. Several volunteer players play as “monsters”, dressing up in black tunics and custom face masks to help portray the part. They surrounded a cabin and I watched closely as they role played being monsters guided by a queen, trying to enforce the players to succumb to her rule as a leader. After they had converted the people of the cabin, they left and I managed to get a deeper understanding of the escapism in a small interview with the people of the cabin. The cabin was completely changed on the inside by adding cloths and LED string lights that represent magic circles. I looked at all the decorations they had set up and how much it looked completely different from the one I saw from only a few hours ago. I had asked why there was so much decoration and thought put into the interior of the buildings if most of the action happened outside. The answer quite surprised me as they told me the session takes place twenty four-seven for the entire weekend, even if the players are asleep. In order to prevent the “monsters” from killing them in the night, they need to protect the cabin itself with the magical trinkets. This showed that they even take the escapism past the public presence of the other players and was even on a more personal level. 

During the following nights I had also seen many other players casting “spells” outside their cabins for protection.  This consisted of having a single player walk around the cabin mumbling to himself for a full five minutes. I thought about how in video games these kinds of actions are usually sped up to decrease boredom; however this method allows the very act to be appreciated by the players. The residences of each cabin were grateful to the players that put the effort into casting the “spells.” Throughout my time there I felt like the community itself had created something real out of the imaginary, as if I even took a step outside the LARPer’s area I would be in a completely different world. Many of the players I interviewed had admitted making or buying items in the “real world,” as they referred their normal lives as, and selling them for in game “gold.” One of the players, who was a shopkeeper in the game world, gave me an example that they will buy like a heating lamp at a garage sale and sell it for in game currency which can be used to buy magic scrolls. These pieces of paper can be used against the monsters in battles.

Most of the escapism I had witnessed and interviewed on was the Role-playing part of Live Action Role-Playing. Very little battles actually took place during my visit. The Plot I had interviewed with told me that this specific group had achieved their escapism from the real world with the Role-Playing aspect in mind more than battle aspect. The battles were rather complicated and generally were avoided if it made more sense to the story to avoid it. The battles work off actual sword play, with some of the same techniques as fencing. Each time a player strikes with a weapon he must call out the amount of damage he caused. Witnessing some of these battles taking place I see a mixed sense of immersion between the players. They get into the groove of clashing swords together but you can see the escapism diminishing as they constantly rattle around numbers in their head while battling. Often talking like they normally would with other players as they caught their breath.

At this point I felt like I understood on how they achieved the escapism but still didn’t quite understand why. I met with many of the players and the most common response in my interviews was the ability to be something that you are not. That the “average joe” as they put it would look down upon or ridicule you for doing. I’ve often heard quite a bit of people who play Dungeons and Dragons being shunned by Catholic Churches as playing a devils game, so I could definitely understand why this particular sub culture is often looked over. There were two interviews I had with people who had realistic motivations for escaping the real world. An elderly shopkeeper told me that everyone had complimented him on how little stress he had after each weekend. My interview with another middle age man said that the escapism of roleplaying his parts would help him become a better acting teacher to his students.

Looking into all the data I had collected I could conjure up a good picture of the idea of Escapism and how they achieved this process. They went through a ceremony of what I call “rebirth” in which they create their characters and re-enter the area anew. Next they meet up with the more experienced to help them make a name for themselves within the group, this represents development and community in a make believe world. Allowing the world to come alive around each of the players helps them stay immersed. Even though the battles and number rattling may break their immersion into the setting, they get right back into it as soon as the battle is over. By the end of weekend, the escapism is nearly dwindled and gone from each of the players as the focus is set on returning back to their regular lives.