I hate the video game industry. First, they stole “RPG” from us, now they’re gonna bury the LARP. Let me explain.
I’m here at GDC talking to a ton of people. One of the folks I talked to was Jan Libby, one of the women responsible for the breakout “Lonlygirl15” Youtube craze. We were talking about interactive literature. We’re talking about the same thing, but when I say “LARP,” she says “ARG.” She recognizes what I’m saying, but nobody else does. Everybody else in the meeting hears “ARG” and they know exactly what she’s saying. I say “LARP” and their eyes glaze over.
But we’re talking about the same thing. Folks who adopt characters, who operate in a closed rule set, where events occur and people react “in character.” And they’re talking like this is a new idea. Like Bungie invented it.
She talks about working with Keifer Sutherland and Fox on a new ARG coming out next year. And, of course, there’s the “I love bees” ARG that Bungie did. And the AI ARG Spielberg did. And the NIN ARG. The Cloverfield ARG.
Ask anyone to name a roleplaying game, and they won’t say “D&D” anymore. They’ll say WoW.
Talk about LARPs and folks will scratch their heads. But you say “ARG” and they all know what you mean. And no, they won’t be talking about pirates.
So when we’re talking about the nationwide interactive storyline for Houses of the Blooded, I stopped talking about the HotB LARP; we’re talking about the HotB ARG. And we’re not talking about meeting in a school or in the middle of a park or anything like that. We’re talking about real cash. Stupid money.
(I told Peter, “Our unofficial motto should be, ‘Smart people with stupid money.'” He laughed.)
So, just like that, the video game industry has stolen something else from us. Put away your boffer swords. Put away your black dress. Put away your puffy shirts and your blood tokens.
The LARP is dead, ladies and gentlemen. Long live the ARG.