OPINION-Larping: A Term That Has Lost Its Meaning

By Diego Rodriguez

Fresno Bee columnist Carmen George, right, learns how to joust with Terras Wars larper, Quanah Martinez, 21, of Clovis, during some live action role playing on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016 at Sierra Bicentennial Park in Clovis, Calif. The group meets in a Clovis park every Saturday to fight each other with foam weapons wearing medieval and super hero garb. (Silvia Flores/Fresno Bee/TNS)

The original definition of the term LARP (live action role play) referred to adults engaging in an activity where they dressed up as fantasy characters and safely fought each other in large outdoor settings. Fast forward to today, and "larping" is now a term used to describe someone who is fake, performative or pretending to be something they are not.

Larping has evolved over time, especially on TikTok, where many people have incorrectly used and overused the term. In the beginning, calling someone a "larper" for pretending to have money seemed applicable, but now people use it to criticize others for being new to things and genuinely having fun exploring new interests.

A prime example occurred during the World Cup. Many people on TikTok were quick to accuse others of "larping" soccer when, in reality, many were being introduced to the sport in a new light and excited to explore the world of the sport.

"I believe the term 'larping' is being way too overused, especially during the World Cup. Just let people enjoy it," said senior John Mora.

In today's gaming community, many younger players are accused of being larpers, but in reality, they are just trying to have the same enjoyment of the game that older people had. For example, Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops II just came out on the PS5, and the ports have exploded in popularity, with longtime players returning for nostalgic playthroughs of Zombies and Multiplayer maps.

However, people who never played the games but want to enjoy them still get picked on for not being born earlier and not being able to play the games when they originally came out.

"It's unfair that kids who haven't played Black Ops II but try it out and genuinely have fun are being called larpers," said senior Alexander Zamora.

Larping should be minimized in today's society because many people overuse the term and accuse others of being fake in everything they do, especially during sporting events and when older games are brought to new platforms.

People should be allowed to enjoy what they are doing without others trying to make themselves feel better by putting them down.