Aadi Bhojwani: Week 1 - There's No Limit to the Larp


Quite a while back—I do not remember exactly when—I watched a movie—the title of which I also do not remember—where the characters are doing normal movie stuff and end up stumbling upon a park full of people dressed in medieval clothing. The central characters interact with some of the people briefly before deciding to leave, muttering something like, “let’s get away from these weirdos.” I was thoroughly confused. What was wrong with them simply choosing to express themselves through a little bit of roleplay? It honestly looked kind of fun.

That form of LARPing I can definitely get behind. Unfortunately, when larping is mentioned today, that harmless fun is rarely what people are talking about. In modern day slang and media, the term is no longer refers to a literal game, and rather has become a cynical critique: the act of pretending to have an interest in, or be part of something, that you’re not. While this new slang has not deviated much from the roleplay aspect, the intention behind it definitely has.

People no longer aspire to simply put themselves in another’s shoes or have fun; they fake interests in movies, games, or any other subculture purely because they think it's funny or ironic. They’re not truly appreciating the media, they just want to participate in the joke. This completely ruins the culture for genuine fans who have a true love for the piece of media. 

The actual substance, nuanced themes, and serious discussions are drowned underneath jokes, memes, and shallow engagement. I really like thinking about and discussing shows and movies that I like, and when I find out that the supposedly genuine conversation I was having was nothing but a farce—I believe rightfully so—I get pissed off. 


These impostors do more damage than just that, as people get falsely accused of “larping” something because of the paranoia they’ve instilled. If someone is new to a hobby, genuinely trying to learn, or even just expresses an opinion that may differ from popular opinion, they are instantly dismissed as “just larping.” Like I guess bro. But what is one even supposed to do? It's easy to assume that nobody is authentic, and because of that even if you passionately care for a topic, someone will accuse you of faking it for attention.  


I still don’t understand the long-term endgame of this kind of larping, what do they exactly get out of it? Maybe they’ll fool a person or two, have some laughs, but how long will they go on? How long will they drag the same joke? There’s nothing wrong with larping in and of itself, the problem is just what it’s transformed into over time and the problems it brings. The medieval role-players I saw years ago were acting out a complete fantasy, yet they were still much more honest about who they were and what they loved and cared about.

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