I once went to do a radio interview for a net station from a gaming convention.  I haven’t done any gaming of this sort since middle school, so I’m a little out of touch with the scene.

When I arrived the station’s producer welcomed me and told me we’d being doing my interview just after they finished the current one.  He pointed at their current interviewees and said “Do you know who they are?”

It was, if I remember right, two guys and two girl.  One was wearing a cape.  Par for the course.  But I didn’t recognize them.

He told me they were famous LARPers.  I said, “That sounds illegal.”

He explained that LARP stands for Live Action Role Playing.  Meaning they act out their role playing characters and stories in real time.  For no audience.  Like out of work actors.  Like how my friends and I used to play “super heroes” when we were kids.

Part of me would like to ridicule them as losers playing make believe far past their prime.  But at the same time, it’s always a shame when adults lose their sense of play.  It usually signals a loss of creativity as well.  I’d be willing to be that these LARPers are very creative individuals who do well in their chosen vocation.

Even if they do choose to wear capes and throw pretend magical spells at each other behind a public library on Thursday nights.  Not much different from Fantasy Baseball Camp, I suppose.

By the way, here is the station I did the interview with.  They’re great about playing my music. 🙂
http://www.justiceradio.net/

Phil Johnson
www.RoadsideAttraction.com