Feeling blue

Community Larp discussion
#1

Is it me? Maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s the impact of things moving to Facebook. Maybe it’s growing pains as the community gets bigger. I dunno …

But I remember when Diatribe was abuzz with positivity, with online RP, with frothing about games and friendly banter - when most of my LARP-related online interactions were filled with creative collaboration, anticipation, and joy. Real joy for the hobby we all share in. And maybe that’s cuz I was relatively new to the hobby and I had rose-tinted glasses or something.

But there’s been a creeping increase in negativity, arguing, and general unpleasantness that’s really disheartening - maybe more on FB than Diatribe as more traffic heads that way. It really brings me down, and sometimes I’d be outright embarrassed to point a potential LARPer toward some of our FB or Diatribe discussions.

I know the internet is a happy place for trolls and arguments. I know tone can be misconstrued online. I know everyone has bad days, and I know that we’re all passionate about this hobby - and passion sometimes leads to strongly stated and felt opinions. But it just seems like there’s a decrease in the wonder and awe and excitement of LARP, and an increase in complaining, entitlement and negativity. I’m sure I contribute to this as well, despite my efforts to take great care in how I communicate.

As it is now, I keep withdrawing farther and farther away from online activity, just for my own sanity. My threshold for negativity is at an all time low. I’ve pulled away from most LARP-related communities, even my own faction and fake-family groups. And that makes me sad. Yet at the same time, at the moment I’ve only got so much mental energy for LARPing, and I’d rather save that up for where it’s most important to me: the actual game.

I don’t know, maybe I’m just an over-sensitive sook. I do get awfully sad at ridiculous things like the poor, terrified rubber chicken shot into space (look at his face… so horrified :frowning: media.komonews.com/images/120423 … ace_lg.jpg). I do know I just feel really -down- about some of the ways people are communicating about LARPing atm, particularly online. And I hope that with a little consideration for how we post (or when we post, i.e.; not in the heat of the moment maybe) that we can inject a little more of the excitement and enthusiasm and positivity that seemed to be more prevalent in times past.

#2

I am feeling exactly the same way, Jackie, I feel like we should have a thread about all the things we love about the current larps that are running!

#3

Yeah, I feel the same way as well. I’m feeling less and less inclined to engage with any kind of LARP or LARP related topic, online and off. I’m not sure exactly what can be done, but I hope there’s something. I’m glad that you’ve made this post though. It’s a good sort of thing to get it out there. :slight_smile:

#4

I really miss people using Diatribe to talk about larp stuff. It feels deserted here now. Concentrating some of the chatter back here, instead of the four winds of Facebook, may help?

#5

Well, let’s start celebrating. I propose a celebration of the fact that the OP here was the 7,000th post in this forum.

Also, I’m actually really looking forward to Chimera at the moment, because I went back today and reread the game blurbs. I’ll particularly be interested in how Morpho Project turns out, because it looks like a pretty cool puzzle game…

#6

I too am looking forward to Chimera. I’ve just cast the first game I’m running, I’m planning to cast the second one this week (I’m waiting to see if I get any more players to make it a bit easier and avoid constraining the gender balance further), and I’m idly thinking about what I’m going to be doing afterwards. Then of course there’s KapCon and all the cool larps I’ll hopefully get to play then.

Plus, I actually get to play a game this month! A theatreform, one I haven’t played before! Woo-hoo!

#7

In a strange twist of irony, I find myself looking for the ‘like’ button on your post, Jackie.

Perhaps the instant and less-personal nature of the book of faces is in fact to blame for a large amount of the problem you’ve outlined. However, I think it’s really down to people. How people choose to respond, to talk, think and share.

It is certainly not you alone - paying close attention to people, as I do, I have noticed that the excitement for Larping as a hobby has indeed given way to something far more negative. I have noticed several people feeling like the mental stress is not worth the effort, that fun is no longer present, that excellence is no longer happening. I’m one of these people. The uplifting and encouraging nature of the larp community has somehow been overshadowed by a spirit of negativity, and it’s been gnawing at me for some time. I’m guilty of letting it get to me, guilty of speaking out of turn, guilty of perpetuating the problem.

The way I’ve tried to turn it around is to look at my own response to things. Instead of allowing myself to respond negatively, I choose now to look at the positive side of things. I encourage other people when they create things, work alongside people when gaming with them, find reasons to tell people when they look awesome/did the thing brilliantly/roleplayed their hearts out.
This isn’t a snap fix, nor is it easy, nor is it a bed of roses - but I truly believe that changing one’s own mindset is the key. Then, if you can just make one person besides yourself also happy that they’re involved in this hobby, then all the better. We can and will have fun, we can and will get it right, we can and will get things done, and we certainly will all get along once again in the unique way Larping allows us to.

In that vein, Anna - the cast list for Romeo and Ethyl! It has me giggling.

#8

I agree that facebook is partially at fault, though, I think it is because it is used as a means of entertainment.

Things moving onto facebook mean people try and keep themselves busied with it, and being that there are such a large number of energetic, passionate people in this community, it would seem that clashes are far more common - considering most of what we do comes down to personal opinion/enjoyment.

I think people would find less of a problem if things on facebook groups were only able to be commented on by the GMs.

#9

I don’t get the impression there is any kind of permanent shift. I think enthusiasm comes in waves. People like novelty, and novelty doesn’t last. We’ve gone through phases in the past where interest wanes and then returns when there’s something new to chew on. Classic example is how huge combat practices got in Auckland for a while, and then died off somewhat more recently. The same thing usually happens with campaigns: initial rush of enthusiasm, readjustment, reengagement.

The movement of larp talk to Facebook seems like a novelty to me too. It’s a pretty poor medium to talk as a community, but it offers the novelty of being able to post your opinions and emotions on your own wall and thereby mostly engage with your “friends”. It’s more personal and transitory in nature, less communal and lasting than something like Diatribe. On the other hand, we’ve had plenty of complaining and arguing on Diatribe over the years too. :wink:

#10

As someone who has done combat practice in one form or another for many years much of that can be put down to winter. People* don’t like to get up on cold winter’s days and get wet.

*other people; I’m cool with that stuff.

#11

I would really love to see more buzz from the other larps running right now - there’s Lynn’s old Changeling game, Kerry/Philippa/Ben/Tim’s new Changeling, Chris and Kirsten’s Phoenix Rising all running regularly with good numbers. No Quarter is gearing up to kick off. Chimera is in six weeks. Plus there’s all the stuff in other cities. I’d love to hear/see more about people being excited for these events too. I’m not sure where it’s happening at the moment but it used to be awesome to log into Diatribe and see it lit up with new posts across multiple game forums.

#12

No Quarter does look particularly awesome. It’s not for the light hearted. I’m definitely keen to crew, and from what I’ve heard they have some amazing ideas lined up. Should be a very special LARPing experience.

#13

This isn’t a problem with LARPing specifically; it’s just a part of the larger problem that’s been growing everywhere online in the past 6-ish years. Being excited about things isn’t cool. Enthusiasm isn’t cool. Positivity isn’t cool. The way to show you like or care about something (from a LARP to a video game to a movie franchise) is to bitch and moan about every decision the creators make and claim they’re either incompetent or actively trying to destroy their own work (or both!) - and that you know better, that they should do what you say. It’s a pervasive culture of arrogance, entitlement, and rudeness which is basically just drowning out the voices of anyone who actually likes the product in question.

I don’t know how to fix it. I’m just saying, it’s everywhere.