"Take it seriously and give it your all." - I'm surprised you think you're in the minority with that mantra. For me, it's more like something that's so built into the process that it's a given. A pack of strangers are counting on you for several hours of *something* - if you're not going to take it seriously, gtfo, y'know? I've not yet met a (successful) GM who didn't work by that philosophy...
I think I am in the minority with that mantra because "Always have fun" is not my #1 rule. In other words, I'm not saying I don't want to have fun when I run/play larps, it's not my #1 goal. And from the anecdotal comments I get from almost all Americans, that IS the #1 goal of larpers, to have fun. Do they want to give it their all? Yes, I suspect many do, most of the time. But "fun" is not the #1 goal for everything I play/run. Again, my example is the edu-larp I am running right now (next session is tomorrow). My goal is not to have fun. I am having fun, but that's not why I am doing this. I am doing this because I want these at-risk, low-income high schoolers to develop an appreciation for and basic understanding of the usefulness of mathematics. It was made very clear to me by Christian Brown, a founder/designer, that "We can make fun games. That's easy. But can we teach using these games?" And the teaching part is more important than the fun part. If the players (students) learn but are bored, we win. If they have fun but learn nothing, we lose. Most likely, though, they will have fun and learn, or learn because they are having fun.
That's why I think I am in the minority, because not all my larps follow the Golden Rule that you stated: "Always have fun."
re: throwing some words together for you, I'd have to have a think about that to see if I've got anything honestly meaningful to say. Most of my LARP writings have been pretty light and basic stuff, possibly too light for your intended audience. Who is my intended audience? YOU ARE. The fact that you're even writing about larp in a serious way is interesting, since there's so little of it in America. I'll look over your articles (thank you for the link), but I am still interested in getting essays. Some of it will be hard core academia, but not all of it.
(resists temptation to draw parallels to the kink scene and how one masochist's idea of a hell of an afternoon probably violates some tenets of the Geneva convention and therefore could hardly be considered "fun" in the traditional sense of the word...) Great analogy, actually, you should draw parallels between the kink scene and larping. I didn't get into it in my essay, but I believe that a sexual RP scene is larping. I also believe that certain religious ceremonies touch on larping as well. But my intellectual muscles aren't buffed enough to take those weights on. However, the Nordic larpers do, and I can probably track down some of those essays. I know Molly Rapp did a college paper on religion in larp, interviewing both me and essentialsaltes. We have it around here somewhere...
My *specific* objection to the event "Gang Rape" is borne of several factors, not the least of which being the danger to the participants' mental health. But I'll save the rest of that for my own soapbox. I'm not saying that GR is a good larp, or something that everyone should play. I doubt I could do it myself (and I have read the rules and know that I wouldn't be physically touched, nor touch anyone at all, except probably a hug after it was over). There's a psychodrama larp called "Forbidden Fruit" by Nathan Hook in The Green Book (http://www.lulu.com/shop/nathan-hook/the-green-book/paperback/product-15063841.html) that I doubt I could play, either.
My point is that not all larps are designed to be fun, but they are still larps. Thus, when I read that "the Golden Rule of larp is to have fun" (and I hear/read similar sentiments often), I have to beg to differ.
no subject
I think I am in the minority with that mantra because "Always have fun" is not my #1 rule. In other words, I'm not saying I don't want to have fun when I run/play larps, it's not my #1 goal. And from the anecdotal comments I get from almost all Americans, that IS the #1 goal of larpers, to have fun. Do they want to give it their all? Yes, I suspect many do, most of the time. But "fun" is not the #1 goal for everything I play/run. Again, my example is the edu-larp I am running right now (next session is tomorrow). My goal is not to have fun. I am having fun, but that's not why I am doing this. I am doing this because I want these at-risk, low-income high schoolers to develop an appreciation for and basic understanding of the usefulness of mathematics. It was made very clear to me by Christian Brown, a founder/designer, that "We can make fun games. That's easy. But can we teach using these games?" And the teaching part is more important than the fun part. If the players (students) learn but are bored, we win. If they have fun but learn nothing, we lose. Most likely, though, they will have fun and learn, or learn because they are having fun.
That's why I think I am in the minority, because not all my larps follow the Golden Rule that you stated: "Always have fun."
re: throwing some words together for you, I'd have to have a think about that to see if I've got anything honestly meaningful to say. Most of my LARP writings have been pretty light and basic stuff, possibly too light for your intended audience.
Who is my intended audience? YOU ARE. The fact that you're even writing about larp in a serious way is interesting, since there's so little of it in America. I'll look over your articles (thank you for the link), but I am still interested in getting essays. Some of it will be hard core academia, but not all of it.
(resists temptation to draw parallels to the kink scene and how one masochist's idea of a hell of an afternoon probably violates some tenets of the Geneva convention and therefore could hardly be considered "fun" in the traditional sense of the word...)
Great analogy, actually, you should draw parallels between the kink scene and larping. I didn't get into it in my essay, but I believe that a sexual RP scene is larping. I also believe that certain religious ceremonies touch on larping as well. But my intellectual muscles aren't buffed enough to take those weights on. However, the Nordic larpers do, and I can probably track down some of those essays. I know Molly Rapp did a college paper on religion in larp, interviewing both me and essentialsaltes. We have it around here somewhere...
My *specific* objection to the event "Gang Rape" is borne of several factors, not the least of which being the danger to the participants' mental health. But I'll save the rest of that for my own soapbox.
I'm not saying that GR is a good larp, or something that everyone should play. I doubt I could do it myself (and I have read the rules and know that I wouldn't be physically touched, nor touch anyone at all, except probably a hug after it was over). There's a psychodrama larp called "Forbidden Fruit" by Nathan Hook in The Green Book (http://www.lulu.com/shop/nathan-hook/the-green-book/paperback/product-15063841.html) that I doubt I could play, either.
My point is that not all larps are designed to be fun, but they are still larps. Thus, when I read that "the Golden Rule of larp is to have fun" (and I hear/read similar sentiments often), I have to beg to differ.