LARPing in China

周宁

Live Action Role Playing （LARP） games， a form of role-playing where participants act out their characters， have become a hit among Chinese youths. As the immersive① game gains popularity， a complete industry chain has been formed， with young entrepreneurs， playwrights and fresh graduates flooding the industry. During the COVID-19 pandemic， the LARPing craze has even extended to other sectors such as online gaming and livestreaming.

LARPs can be considered interactive literature or theater with audience participation. There are mainly two kinds of LARPs： table-top role-playing and live action. The latter is much more popular in China， like Murder Mystery which asks participants to solve a murder. Participants get not only the thrill of being Sherlock Holmes， but also the chance to experience a different characters story.

Many LARPers are in their 20s， and they enjoy the detective games not just for fun， but also for social networking. Usually there are five to eight characters in one game， and participants may need to “recruit” new members to make up the numbers. After the game， which usually takes four to seven hours， they usually go out for lunch or dinner—a perfect way to get to know their new acquaintances.

LARPing has drawn widespread interest from youths. And the number of LARP studios across China is also rising. Chen Zizheng， general manager of Dieying LARP Studio in southern Chinese city of Guangzhou， is optimistic about the future development of this industry. “When we started the business in 2017， there were probably fewer than five LARP studios in Guangzhou. Now in 2021， there are 230 to 240. The number of customers and studios is growing rapidly and continuously， and the industry is growing quite fast，” he said.

As many entrepreneurs are rushing into the market， some are eyeing a new form- LARP trips. In China， businesses in Beijing， Shanghai， Chengdu and Changsha have launched LARP trips for consumers. Players， together with their friends， can join the two- to three-day-trip to a large LARPing site away from the city center.

In the age of entertainment， whether LARPing can be the industry that has a promising future or just a flash in the pan， only time will tell.

注：① immersive 沉浸式的