LARP America

I first heard about the Week of Stories some time around 2016, during a particularly negative time in the community of the LARP I was attending. I instantly knew it was something I couldn’t ignore.

The concept of the Week of Stories is to hold off on feedback, criticism, analysis, or commentary about the event which just happened for 7 days after an event has ended. This isn’t a ban on talking about the event – quite the opposite. It encourages players and staff to discuss their favorite moments, the roleplay, the excitement, and generally what happened (even if it was a “bad” thing for the character), without judging others. This non-judgmental time allows people to reflect and remember what happened during the event without letting it be colored by others’ opinions. It allows the game runners to take a breath and relax after a stressful time, without having to receive a constant barrage of negativity. This Week of Stories can make a difference in burnout in organizers.

Often times in communities, we make spaces for people to be negative. Whether we create a complaint form, or have a “venting” channel, or whatever way we allow for this – we rarely create a space for people to be positive. Particularly in America, rejection of negativity in common spaces is seen as a form of censorship. (Some folks like to claim their Freedom of Speech is being violated in these public spaces, but until the US Government comes in and declares dissension against a LARP is treason, no rights are being infringed upon.) That is why it is important to protect positivity just as much as it is important to protect constructive criticism – without both, neither is useful.

Moreover, by encouraging people to think about the event in an objective or positive fashion, you are reinforcing positive memories. Studies suggest humans remember negative experiences more strongly than positive experiences, which means a minor annoyance can affect a person more than a great storytelling moment. For organizers, this can be the most disheartening thing to hear – all their hard work seemingly undone by one thing that may or may not have been within their control. The goal of the Week od Stories isn’t to regect negativity or critisim, but instead to give the positivity a chance to be a meaningful memory in the human brain.

But what if you did have a negative experience during the event? Firstly, document what happened. Write down – with dates – your experience objectively, then include your emotions and feelings on the matter. If someone made a bad rules call, or you witnessed an incident of cheating, or something of the like, at the end of the Week of Stories, submit this to your game’s organizers by their official means of communication.

That said, it is important to remember that your experience or your understanding of an experience may not be considered a negative thing by everyone. For instance, you may not agree with a rules call made on the battlefield, but the game organizers may stick by that call, because it was by the rules. Having an opinion on a matter does not necessarily mean your opinion will be given weight enough to change things. Having a voice does not mean you are right in your words. Waiting until the end of the Week of Stories to submit your criticism will help you level your head and be able to look at the incident with a clear mind. Was this a poor rules call? Or were you caught up in the moment? Was it truly the game organizers’ fault that a water line burst in the cold? Were the actions of players around you the reason for your upset, which has little or nothing to do with the game runners? We all fall into the trap of wanting to put the onus of fun on the staff of the game; but a LARP is a cooperative experience, and each one of your fellow players contributes to the enjoyment of the game.

If you experienced something more threatening, such as a person behaving in an inappropriate manner, out-of-character threats or harm, etc., this is something that should be brought to the attention of the game organizers’ attention immediately. In these cases, documentation is also incredibly important, so be sure to write down what occurred in specific terms, with dates and times. If an incident occurred which should be reported to law enforcement authorities, this documentation will be very helpful for you and the organizers. Staff cannot be everywhere all at once, so keeping a sharp eye for these sort of incidents keeps everyone same.

The Week of Stories is not intended to belittle anyone’s negative experiences, but instead, to allow people to reflect on the event in a neutral-to-positive light. This encourages positive memories to solidify, it allows the game organizers a moment to breathe, it lets folks think clearly about their critiques, and it helps bring a community together. If your game doesn’t have an official Week of Stories, I recommend following by this concept yourself, and encouraging those around you to do the same.