Sunday, March 10, 2013

Guest Contributor: How We Impact Our Games

Contributor: Amanda/"Istamira"
LARP System: Accelerant (Madrigal, Mirror Mirror)
Location: Boston, USA
PC Name: Istamira "Mira" Nascirus
Years LARPing: 1 years, 7 months 
Website: Istamira's Quill istamira.wordpress.com

A guest contribution about the various ways that we can help (and hurt) our larp communities.

If you're reading this, no matter who you are, there is something terribly important that you must be made aware of immediately.... 

You have power

... the power to create game experiences.
... the power to change the course of the game.
... a power to manipulate how things are perceived, received, and more.

You wield this power every single day - often without even knowing it. It's a radiating aura that travels with you wherever you go, and all who so much as tangentially touch your existence are influenced by this power. For that reason, it is inherently dangerous for you - yes YOU (myself included) - to make any contact with other larpers. Why danger?

We each have the power of creation, influence, and perception, but note that it is in the most neutral sense of the words. For example, if we have the power to create "good" game experiences, so too do we have the power to create "bad" ones. Ignorance of this duality of our inherent power is the most dangerous part of the equation! Yet every day, we each go out into the world, interact with one another, and life and the game plays out according to how we're wielding our power. The results are the cocktail that makes up your larp community. 

With the dangers in mind, and having read this far, there is something even more important that you must be made aware of immediately.... 

You have power

... the power to expand and extend game experiences.
... the power to strengthen and improve your game community.
... a power to inspire, to bring joy, and to touch lives.

You wield this power every single day - often without even knowing it. It's a radiating aura that travels with you wherever you go, and all who so much as tangentially touch your existence are influenced by this power. For that reason, it is magnificently important for you - yes YOU (myself included) - to use your powers to full potential. Why important?

We each have the power of creation, influence, and perception, but note that it is in the most limitless sense of the words. If we have the power to create "good" and "bad" game experiences, then so too do we have the ability to create "spectacular" and "horrible" experiences that strengthen or destroy our community. While we're generally good at picking out and avoiding the things that would be "horrible" to others, not everyone sets out with a goal of strengthening their game communities, nor realizes how easy a thing it is to do. If our larp communities are a "cocktail" of interactions, we're like clumsy bartenders. We know how to pour the drink, and know better than to dump motor oil in it, but it's not always obvious to us that we can garnish with the lime, pick the classy glass, or ensure that it's made of top shelf booze... nor do we even realize how amazingly awesome it can be to serve a basic drink, but with a smile! 

Yet when someone else in game does something amazing, it seems to light up our world! How could anyone not see it a mile away? How can we be that light, and the better question - why would we want to?

Understanding Your Aura of Influence

It's an easy concept to grasp when you think about it in terms of your everyday life. Each day you will make eye contact with scores of people - many of whom you don't know and may not see again. Some you do know, like co workers or loved ones. You'll read words written by others. You'll eat food that you probably didn't harvest all by yourself. You'll over-hear gossip or receive an email. Even the most reclusive person will have countless indirect interactions with some aspect of the world that another person left their mark on, simply because we all rely on each other for the things that make up our world in our "society" or "civilization" if you will. It's very basic, this principle that we're all around each other constantly. Extend this principle to the game environment and it begins to become quickly apparent how we influence other players, even on subtle levels, during our game weekend.

Our game community is a lot like a favorite restaurant. The plot is the meal, and the staff are the servers, waiter, barkeep, etc. When we select a restaurant to keep dining at, we consider many factors. Do we like the food? Are the servers friendly? Is the establishment clean? Are the prices fair and portions satisfying? Now consider this: have you ever stopped going to a restaurant due to factors that had nothing to do with any of the things I just listed?
... were the other customers bothering you some how? (too loud, too rude, too many screaming kids, arch nemesis likes to dine at the same establishment?)
... was it in a bad or inconvenient part of town? (too far, too sketchy, too little parking)
... were you trying to save money for a trip to the Bahamas and tried cooking at home for a while as part of a new year's resolution?
In the "list of things outside the restaurant that influence our dining decision", what about that first bullet there... the other customers? That is who we are, and is something we have influence over as fellow participants. Consider that your servers can go above and beyond the call, making cool apps for your food ordering convenience, decorating, frequently rotating the menu... but is all of that enough to overshadow a repeatedly poor interaction with other customers in the establishment? Better yet, consider how it makes you feel when you go to a restaurant that has done everything right AND the other customers are not only tolerable, but a joy to be around?
This is the challenge for every larp staff: making sure the customers aren't driving each other away. It's also the opportunity for every larp participant: doing things that make the other customers happier to be there. When we make the effort to be the customer that other customers and servers want to be around, the entire restaurant flourishes.When our favorite restaurant flourishes, we secure a dining establishment for ourselves for many happy years to come.
Knowing how we relate to our larp community, generally speaking, what specific ways can we be helpful (or harmful) to it? There are four areas of study to radically change your favorite "dining experience" so to speak...

#1 - Cautious Immersion
Sadly the more passionate and proficient the roleplayer, the more likely they are to accidentally twist their awesome RP power into destruction unintentionally. It comes from a desire to adhere to "immersion". Surely by always being "in game" during game, we enhance the experience of other players, right? Yet the nature of an "always in character" game means other players never see us when we're not being "the character who yelled at them". We never get to see them as themselves rather than "the cocky thief who's always mouthing off at the most inopportune times". When we have a moment of malice, aversion, or in-character fighting, we don't get that chance to pause the action and sanity check that everyone understands each other's motivations for being malignant, averse, or fighty. 

Cautious immersion involves being aware and sensitive to the risks of immersion unintentionally poisoning our relationships with other players. If the only times we see one another are when there is something "bad" going on, with no opportunity to hash it out as creative peers instead of conflicting characters, we naturally come to associate one another with the words and actions that we *can* see. And if those things are always negative, hostile, or problematic, that sentiment builds up - even on a subconscious level -  because there is no material to refute or diffuse it with. When we play a character, and play it well, it can create a memorable experience for us and other players. But this very same skill can also be our downfall when we don't get to spend out of game time together... like always being around Mr Hyde and never getting to see Dr Jekyll. 

It's much harder to get worked up or stay mad at someone we know outside of the game (unless they're a jerk out of game in which case that's a whole other lesson). Too often people are traveling from far away or don't get to stay for the duration of the game, so it shrinks the opportunity to get to know the other players and soften the damage dealt by an angry roleplay outburst that was great for character, but poor for long-term community relations. When you have no "Amanda" to interface with on a regular basis, then mentally you're always interfacing with "Mira" even in those fleeting moments out of game. 

How can we avoid such pitfalls, ensuring that our attempts at immersion are not misinterpreted or received so poorly as to wreck another player's game experience? How can we better distinguish ourselves from our character, avoiding misunderstandings and strengthening our relationship with the game community? Here are a few ideas:

  • In character, find them and have an aside to explain what was going through your head at the time (as the character). Assure them of your lack of malice or other sentiments of camaraderie. Do this often!
  • If your character wouldn't level with others in character, find them after game and explain these things out of character. Give the other player insight into your character's thought process and reflect/brainstorm together.
  • If you've said something horrible to someone, but you can't explain why you did it because "it's a secret", consider if the secret is worth wrecking other player's enjoyment. Tip: it's not. No game secret is worth destroying another player's enjoyment.
  • Seek out players/staff after game and compliment them on something cool they did, even if it wasn't directed towards you.
  • Highlight the coolness of others in your summary letters to plot. Spell out your character's thought process to plot - why were you being mean/annoying/angry/bitter/etc. Highlight observations of plot or other players while you're at it.
  • Take the time after game to seek out players or staff who may have had terse words with you in character and ask them how they're feeling or if they have concerns. Then listen!
  • Interact with players at out of game social functions when possible.
  • Organize out of game social functions on a smaller or local level once in a while. A back-yard spar, a crafting night, board game night, or just an invitation to hang out somewhere.
  • Participate in online interactions, like facebook posts, Livejournal, and emails. Give other players and staff a chance to see a little "you" and not "your character" even if you can't physically hang out.
  • Make it a point to learn people's player names and a little about them out of character if they're willing. This is hard if the other person is very private, as they may not want to disclose some things. So in that case ask them questions about things they enjoy about their character or the game, or about something neat that might have happened to them that you didn't see.
#2 - Mindful Gaming
Sometimes we imagine that we must do something difficult or incredible in order to improve our larp community. This is entirely not the case. A series of many small positive things can have just as much impact as bigger efforts. Since our every action is a direct/indirect part of the dining experience, then make all those actions enhancements to it! This is the practice of mindful gaming. You don't even need to be a "non-evil" character in order to enact most of these small positive changes in the game around you. Not to mention the more often you're doing small positive things, the more likely it is that your positive habits rub off on other players.
What are some simple things we can do to improve the overall game experience? Here are a few that you could start doing for your very next game - even doing a few of them once is a start!
  • Offer to help someone get into difficult costuming before game.
  • Go through the motions of an in-character action, even when you don't think anyone is around to see it. Tip: someone probably is around and you didn't notice, but they're noticing you!
  • Pick up litter you chance upon around the site
  • Pause to appreciate someone's performance during game. Do so even if it's not the next Mozart or Circ de Soleil.
    • When you praise other players for their performance, you may be saying "well played" or "that was lovely!" but they're hearing "grant 1 confidence with self esteem".
    • Let your imagination hear what their imagination is trying to bring to life through their performance. We're already imagining fireballs and magical beings over top of birdseed packets and latex masks, how much further of a stretch is it to hear the music in someone's heart instead of just what reaches our ear?
  • Compliment someone's costume before/after game
  • Compliment someone's roleplay before/after game
  • Pick a random NPC  after game and tell them in person that you appreciate their effort
  • Say "good game" or some other compliment to other players and NPCs once game is over. You'd be amazed how far this simple phrase goes.
  • Return a lost object to its owner
  • Help a new player with something they're confused about
  • Derail your own plans to do someone a quick favor (in or out of character)
  • Warn other players/NPCs of potential hazards they haven't noticed with a "caution" and offer to shift the fighting away from the hazard
  • Offer to help someone carry something heavy or awkward
  • Ask questions about other player's characters, then listen attentively to the answer if they offer one
  • Wait for someone who's lagging behind the pack
  • Offer a hand to help someone maintain their balance while climbing around difficult terrain
  • Find a way to compliment someone during game while staying in character
  • Follow up with someone after game who seemed out of sorts to make sure they have moral support.It only takes a quick "are you ok?" to let people know they're thought on.
  • Compliment other players and NPCs in your PEL liberally
  • Hold a door for the next person. Cafe, mod building, it's all good.
  • Learn the name of another PC you're not familiar with and commit it to memory. Strive to learn one new name each game. Beyond strategic combat benefits, players feel included in the game world when other characters know their character's name!
  • Offer to take someone's plate after a meal is finished
  • Smile when you make eye contact with another player or NPC before/during/and after game. So brief, so simple, but so powerfully effective! Your smile lets others know their presence is noticed and valued.
    • Character not the smiley type? Give a slight nod to denote their presence. Even a nasty character probably wants others to know that "I've got my eye on you". Acknowledgement helps other players feel included in the game rather than background for it.
  • If you're already doing any of these, do them twice as often!
#3 - Managing Expectations
An unfortunate conflict can spawn from our own ideas around how our character should be received in the game. We want to be "in game", to play a cool or memorable character, and have fun/be fun to play with. Yet sometimes we elect to play characters who rock the boat, then mystically find ourselves distressed when the boat starts rocking. Why would we rock the boat if we didn't want to be sitting in a rocking boat? The answer to this question will save you much trouble. This is the practice of managing our expectations.
If human nature is to avoid suffering, then other characters (particularly humans) are highly likely to avoid the source of their suffering... and if our character happens to be that source, guess who isn't getting invited to the next secret meeting/dance/mission/other activity.In a way, it is almost peculiar of us to believe averse reactions to our character's mischief are "out of game" on the part of other players. Speaking from a strictly logical story stand point, if a character does untrustworthy things, why would other PCs trust them? If a character is always mean and angry, why would other characters want to be around someone who is mean and angry towards them? Yet often stress and conflicts arise when we expect PCs to tolerate or ignore character behavior that challenges their character's moral lines or accepted game-world social conventions. The negative in-character response on their part is pretty natural and believable. There's nothing more sad than seeing someone with an "evil" or controversial character sitting all alone bored or emotionally damaged because "nobody likes me".
How can we play the roles we enjoy without all needing to be law-abiding huggy kissy saints helping old ladies cross the street and rescuing kittens from trees? Here are a few strategies:
  • That cool, dark, rapscallion character concept may sound great on paper, but consider what are you going to do if/when PCs decide to vote you off the island. Will you still have fun? Be honest with yourself and 
    • If the answer is "no" save that character for some other purpose, like an NPC role, or have an exit strategy to retire the character and go into it KNOWING the character is possibly doomed to retire fairly quickly. 
    • If the answer is yes, then consider what you're going to do with your copious spare time if you end up being exiled by other PCs. Never bet on the PCs putting up with your character's presence long term; it's a gamble between fun and bored heartbreak.
  • After game take the time to compliment them on the way their character reacted to your character's potentially disruptive actions. Highlight how their reactions to you influenced your next actions. Help them feel they were part of the scene rather than the receiving end of it.
  • After game Compliment what another player did that you saw, but weren't at the receiving end of. This helps them realize that you value their presence even when you're not playing with them directly as your hostile character Evil McEvilson.
  • Make the effort to be a nice/friendly person out of game to contrast your character's hostility.
  • Has your character earned a reputation that precedes them? Make it a point to meet people before game and apologize in advance for your character's impending unpleasant disposition! Does it spoil some of the surprise? Yes. Does it reduce malice ahead of time and help other PCs distinguish "you" vs "your character"? Yes.Weigh which of these things you care more about.
  • Accidentally hit someone in the face with a weapon or other mishap? Apologize immediately. It is never worth it to stay in character at the expense of real life etiquette!
  • Think of ways that other characters would *want* to interface with your character even after they try to segregate you. Can you be the lesser of two evils? The unlikely ally? The enemy of someone's enemy?
  • Gravitate towards PCs who gravitate towards you, and don't try to force your character presence on characters who are doing their best to avoid you at all cost. Trying to "make" other PCs be around your character is not going to help them feel more immersed, it's just going to make them wicked annoyed with you out of game. 
    • If another character is spending time with yours despite the risk/danger/grievance, then there's obviously something about your roleplay that is bringing them enjoyment so stick with them instead! 
  • Roleplay all the things! Consider all the dimensions of your character... they're more than just the direct social interactions they have with other PCs. If other PCs denote interesting rituals, costuming, acting, or other character complexity even when they're not interacting with you directly, they're slightly less likely to completely avoid your character. They're more likely to roleplay with you again even after their character and yours have a conflict because they value the atmosphere you bring to their experience. This also leaves a lot more hooks for their characters to interact with you.
  • Think carefully about the company your character keeps. Would your character be willing to risk associating with an outcast if the result was being outcast themselves by doing so? Associating with controversial characters carries ALL of the dangers outlined here as if you were playing the controversial character yourself!
  • Don't be ashamed or too proud to admit when your character design has gone off the socially acceptable rails and has stopped being fun to play as a result. Talk with staff about options to give the character a clean slate (and it doesn't always involve death or retirement!)
#4 - Giving Freely of Yourself
Sometimes you may wonder what more you can do for your larp community. You enjoy the art so much you want to give back... or maybe your game is a little rough around the edges and you're trying to come up with ways to help grow community bonds. Congratulations! You have already taken the first step to a better game - by caring enough about your larp community to be curious "how can I make a difference," you're already cultivating positive change. Here we'll cover some specific examples of ways you can radically improve your game community. 
It is important to note that to fully practice this, it can take a little extra time and/or effort on your part. The practice of Giving Freely is done at a different level through different mediums for everyone, and you have to decide what the right amount of time/effort is for your lifestyle. Do not discount your efforts if the way you practice it takes 10 minutes of time while another player's might be hours per week. ALL efforts made in the practice of Giving Freely matter. Never practice Giving Freely expecting anything in return other than the simple joy of having contributed to the cause of making your game a better, friendlier, more fun place for other players. It is perhaps the most difficult of the four disciplines because it demands a heavy amount of compassion, empathy, and kindness yet all at a pro bono level rather than a quid pro quo level... although the  dirty secret is there is a tiny bit of QPQ, as when executed on properly, we do get a personal benefit: enjoying a great larp community for many more years!
Here are some ideas to get you inspired! Some take more or less time than others, but any of them can boost the quality of your game's community:
  • Donate requested props, costuming, etc to plot when they need an extra hand. Yeah sure they're going to give you CP in return, but that's not the important part!
  • Help staff with set up / clean up. Again CP is not the important factor here, it's just icing on a good deed.
  • Blow off a grievance you have with someone. In a thousand years, no one will remember who we are, what we were doing, nor who cared about it when we were doing it. In that light, is the anger over something that happened during game really worth it?
    • Bonus points: Blow off a grievance where you know you were in the right!
  • Make a prop for something about your character even though game rules didn't *require* you to have a prop to represent it.
  • Think of a mini project that your character works on during downtime at game between mods/field fights. Something you work on gradually to complete - it could take more than 6 games!
    • Extra bonus awesomeness points: make it a mini project that other players can casually get involved with
  • Like, rate, or comment on web content made by your fellow larpers! Your participation lets them know there's other people out there from their favorite hobby! This can be done in moments from the comfort of your own home/mobile device. Here are just a few places that larpers are congregating oog on the interwebz:
    • Collabnarration (and other larp blogs!)
    • Social network pages & groups
      • Facebook
      • Google+
      • Yahoo
      • Livejournal
      • TIP: Too shy about personal info? Gravitate towards social networks that don't require real names/info, like Livejournal & twitter!
    • Larpcast (and other larping podcasts)
    • Etsy (and other art/craft/costuming websites)
    • Google (just punch in relevant search terms like "larp" or your rules system, and get out there and find those oog communities!)
    • Ask around your game and learn where the oog congregating is happening. Get web addresses or offer your contact info to be added to lists.
  • Make your own content
    • Write some character journals or game thoughts and share them with players online or otherwise
    • Submit material to blogs & other larp writing communities
    • Offer to do guest segments on podcasts/video casts, or start your own from scratch
  • Attend OOG events:
    • Visit larping activities in conventions/trade shows
    • Attend seminars/workshops for larp topics
    • HOST larping seminars, workshops, etc
  • Be yourself & be polite
    • Not everyone is comfortable sharing their hobby with others and/or the world. Only do what you're comfortable with! Use pseudonyms or pen names if necessary. Never post pictures or names of others without their permission!
    • Sharing your stories, experiences, and love of larping publicly can help other larpers feel a greater sense of camaraderie and encourages them to reach out and connect with others.
    • ... additionally for more shy larpers, it helps them reaffirm that there are other well-adjusted, fun, successful people who enjoy the same hobby they do on the same level they appreciate it at.
    • Evangelizing your hobby in a constructive way strengthens not only internal community bonds, but also improves external community perceptions 
We all have power at all times to change the way our fellow players and staff experience the game. How we wield that power can make the difference between misery and rapture for ourselves and other larpers. The ways we can manipulate our power can be complex or simple. Ultimately just being aware of your power of influence is already a huge improvement to your game.

2 comments:

  1. This is wonderful. People often underestimate the power we have to influence others.

    Since larp is a social hobby, and each larp game is a community within a community, it certainly helps to keep others in mind and share in the responsibility of making the game fun for all involved.

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  2. I totally agree Scott! It is always surprising to praise another player for something they did that was awesome, and they seem to have no idea that what they did made someone's day.

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