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and Minimeister
 
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| http://www.larpguide.co.uk/pages/larp_articleview.asp?ID=21 I felt pretty embarrassed after I read this article. It seems to say that you don't need to be a goon devoid of social skills to do this hobby, but it'll help! The thing that really confused me is that this article is also supposed to be representative of the views of people inside the hobby/game/art/etc. Is this the case? Is everyone except me embarrassed to talk about what they do with their time off?
There is only overconfidence and terror.
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Heroic Knight
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| That's a pretty harsh take on the article. I think the writer was desperately looking for some way to put a funny punchline in at the end, and floundered into taking the piss slightly. Apart from the very last line, it seems like a fairly neutral and sometimes positive look at linear medieval fantasy larps, and at an individual who likes that sort of larp. My criticism is that it fails to illustrate that larp is a good deal wider in scope than linear medieval fantasy. Anyone reading it could reasonably assume that all larp is medieval fantasy where you bash monsters. The responsibility for that failure lies between the journalist, the interviewee, and whoever set up the article.
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Wag
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| To be fair, there are still people inside the hobby who think all LRP is linear medieval fantasy, usually with a Tolkien connection somewhere. So the interviewee may not have been aware of the wider implications. 'Other' LRP is on the increase but still not quite permeating fully into general awareness. The fact that medieval linear LRP is getting media time at the moment (however mixed) is still a good thing and bodes well for greater things in the future. Who I tell about my hobby depends on the circumstances, though positive responses from a lot of people has made me a little more open about it in general. I have sometimes, when put under the spotlight by people I really didn't want to know about it, lied when asked about my weekend and said 'Camping' or even 're-enactment', which at least has the cachet of respectability. Both essentially true - I was camping and LRP could be described as 'fantasy re-enactment' - but with certain clauses omitted 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Whispering God is your friend... trust the Whispering God... Ruins of Empire 1st - 3rd Feb, 2008, Gladstone scout centre, Chester
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Knight
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| To be honest i found the article an interesting read (failing to see your embaressment but hey ho) because i have sometimes found it difficult to describe what i do as a hobby - usually only to certain people whom i might have a preconcieved idea of what their response might be. Personally i found it interesting to hear a non larpers view, whether it runs true of a larpers real thoughts on the hobby or not (i think it was quite a good take personally.
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http://www.larpguide.co.uk
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and Minimeister
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Ryan Paddy (5/24/2006)
That's a pretty harsh take on the article. I think the writer was desperately looking for some way to put a funny punchline in at the end, and floundered into taking the piss slightly. Apart from the very last line, it seems like a fairly neutral and sometimes positive look at linear medieval fantasy larps, and at an individual who likes that sort of larp. My criticism is that it fails to illustrate that larp is a good deal wider in scope than linear medieval fantasy. Anyone reading it could reasonably assume that all larp is medieval fantasy where you bash monsters. The responsibility for that failure lies between the journalist, the interviewee, and whoever set up the article. Y'alright Ryan? Glad to see you found Rule7. I think the writer was a lazy reporter. She didn't go into it with an open mind, she wasn't looking for a punchline. She was looking to take the piss. Consider: 1. The headings Goblins, Power-gaming, Spearhead, Megalomaniac, Monsters,Fantastical
These are not neutral. Or indeed friendly.
2. The quotations. "Most people play their first character based a bit on how they see themselves, or how they'd like to see themselves. So my first character, Gabor, has a military background and does all the things I like to do, like taking control, and running around hitting stuff with swords! My second character is called Morg, and in terms of role-playing, he's a better character for me, because he's got more specific traits and is the opposite to what I'm like in real life. He's not interested in fighting; he's an archer, but he's not very good at that, plus he stutters, and he's got these big buck teeth." So, without carefully reading it, what's to make you think that Mac doesn't stutter and has big buck teeth? Again perpetuating a stereotype. Perhaps someone more articulate than "No, says Mac - such a shortcut would be missing the point in a big way. "It'd be silly," he insists. He seems to be getting fed up of all the questions, and perhaps it's no wonder. " Which suggests that a hostile approach was being taken to the interview, or perhaps you guys know people who aren't prepared to talk about LARP for hours and hours?
There is only overconfidence and terror.
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Heroic Knight
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| I think you're focusing a bit much on the negative there Pete. The section titles just repeat words that the interviewee used. Looks like she zoned in on words that would catch the eye, is all. Look at some of her positive comments: It is quite probable, then, that [Tolkien] would have given his blessing to the thousands of "other minds and hands" worldwide who, inspired by Tolkien's vision, regularly engage in the pastime of Larp, or live-action role-playing. Given such attention to detail, and the fact that prodigious numbers of people are happy to suspend their disbelief while watching the 'Lord of the Rings' films, is it so remarkable that many also derive huge enjoyment from playing an active part in similarly fantastical adventures? After all, these characters are built up over time and have much thought and physical energy invested in them Being balanced doesn't mean she has to froth about it, just present both sides. I think she did that. Where did she come up with calling larpers "larpists"? Never heard that one before. I think any problems with the article come from only getting one larper's point of view. That could be described as lazy, but its not unusual for articles like this either. I think the article was typical of it's type, and better than some. The real dangers of media articles about larp is that they will fall into either the "dangerous weirdos" or "escapists lost in a dream world" stereotypes. She didn't go there. Although the pressure regarding what would happen when characters die does suggest she may have been exploring the escapist angle. This reminds me, I wrote a guide for larpers dealing with the media last July and submitted it to TheLarper.org, but it seems to have disappeared into the void. They haven't published since "Winter 2004". Maybe I should find a new outlet for that article.
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and Minimeister
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Hmm... you could be right. I just got a very bad first impression of it. Perhaps she was thinking "escapist" when she wrote "larpist". All very South American- Banana Republicy as it stands, it makes me feel I'm letting the side down if I'm not leading a coup.  Perhaps you should submit yon article to oooh... www.larpguide.com I hear they have a new proof reader and he's really good... Ryan Paddy (5/25/2006)
I think you're focusing a bit much on the negative there Pete. The section titles just repeat words that the interviewee used. Looks like she zoned in on words that would catch the eye, is all. Look at some of her positive comments: It is quite probable, then, that [Tolkien] would have given his blessing to the thousands of "other minds and hands" worldwide who, inspired by Tolkien's vision, regularly engage in the pastime of Larp, or live-action role-playing. Given such attention to detail, and the fact that prodigious numbers of people are happy to suspend their disbelief while watching the 'Lord of the Rings' films, is it so remarkable that many also derive huge enjoyment from playing an active part in similarly fantastical adventures? After all, these characters are built up over time and have much thought and physical energy invested in them Being balanced doesn't mean she has to froth about it, just present both sides. I think she did that. Where did she come up with calling larpers "larpists"? Never heard that one before. I think any problems with the article come from only getting one larper's point of view. That could be described as lazy, but its not unusual for articles like this either. I think the article was typical of it's type, and better than some. The real dangers of media articles about larp is that they will fall into either the "dangerous weirdos" or "escapists lost in a dream world" stereotypes. She didn't go there. Although the pressure regarding what would happen when characters die does suggest she may have been exploring the escapist angle. This reminds me, I wrote a guide for larpers dealing with the media last July and submitted it to TheLarper.org, but it seems to have disappeared into the void. They haven't published since "Winter 2004". Maybe I should find a new outlet for that article.
There is only overconfidence and terror.
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Apprentice
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Not at all keen on the term "LARPist", think that makes the hobby sound weirder than it is. I wish the article had stuck with ther term "players" (which sounds more in line with normal games/hobbies) - similarly "crew" rather than "monsters" I think gives a better impression to someone not involved in the hobby.
I thought the reporter seemed mostly neutral, though. The problems, as far as I saw it, were with the interviewee resorting to discussing too many criticisms of the bad sides of the hobby (power-gaming etc) and too much detail about some technicalities (e.g. how XP_ is rewarded in that particular system)
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