by Adina Brenner ‘20

When one thinks of popular activities or hobbies of today, the first few things their mind may go to are probably sports, social media, or even video games. Although these may be some of the most common ways to keep busy in our 21st century society, they are certainly not the only pastimes. For many years, despite being pretty obscure and typically considered “nerdy,” Live Action Role Playing, more commonly known as LARPing, has been more than just a simple hobby for people of all ages.

LARP is not known to have a single point or time of origin; however it became relatively popular in the early 1970s. Teenagers, rather than just playing Dungeons and Dragons in their friend’s basement after school everyday, would go outside, usually to a park or backyard of some sort, to act the game out instead. The activity began to spread internationally in the 80s and all of a sudden kids, teenagers, and even adults all over the world were beginning to LARP.

What many people enjoy especially about LARPing is its uniqueness to any other hobby. There is a large variety of styles, so depending on one’s interests, they may fall into a specific category or they may have a distinctive style unlike any other.  There are three main types of LARPs: demonstrative, usually a small group of players who face some sort of challenge to overcome; salon, which focuses more on interactions between players without weapons; and live steel, a style that relies heavily on the combat aspect. It is also common to see LARPers base their game on movies, TV shows, or other forms of pop culture. For example, a common style of LARP today is that of Medieval Times. Ever since “Game of Thrones,” an epic fantasy drama, got its start on HBO in 2011, LARPers all over have both re-enacted and created scenes based on the series.   From extremely realistic props to exquisite custom-made costumes, many LARPers take their game very seriously. Every year, there are LARPing conventions across the country taking place in cities as large as Los Angeles or New York. LARPers come from all over to show off their various styles of role play as well as the hard work that goes into them. Tyler Bray, a 15-year-old from St. Petersburg, Florida, has been LARPing since the age of 11.

Once a month, he goes out with a group of about five to eight friends to a park in his neighborhood to LARP with a wizard-like style, inspired by his favorite fictional character, Harry Potter. The group wears handmade cloaks and holds replicas of wands used in Harry Potter films to create their own interpretations of the Wizarding World.
“At first, I was skeptical of it [LARPing], but after watching a group in a local park really embody each of their characters, I was mesmerized. I have participated in every single one since then. Often times, locals will walk by giving us dirty, confused stares, but I never let it get to me. LARPing may be odd to some, but to me it is awesome,” said Bray.

So next time you are bored or simply looking for a fun activity to participate in, maybe you should consider LARPing. You may be pleasantly surprised by your experience.