Come out of the larp closet in three easy steps: explain it to non-gamers using analogy, own it and forget about the haters, documentation doesn’t hurt. Advice from seasoned gamers.
In my own research on LARP, I’ve encountered a couple cases of gamer shame — a long-time LARPer who hides his hobby from friends he’s known for years, for fear of ridicule; a woman who doesn’t want people at her office to find out about her weekends in the woods, because LARP is hard to explain and at first blush, sounds like a child-like past time; gamers who treat other forms of nerdularity — massive multiplayer online games, Cosplay, and Rennaisance Faires — with ridicule. Continue Reading →