(no subject)

[ebonlock]

So I just finished watching Darkon, a documentary about an east coast LARPing group. I guess I went into it hoping to see the gaming equivalent of Trekkers, which I found at times both sad and amusing. Well, Darkon's got the sad part down, but that's pretty much it. This was seriously one of the most depressing films I've ever seen, I just felt so damn bad for every single person participating in the game...well, except for the one guy who, I shit you not, actually found himself outside of a Denny's reminding another player, "It's just a game." He really seemed like the only rational person in the entire thing.

I guess I'll keep it on dvd if anyone's curious and wants to see it but I've got about zero desire to watch it again in this life.

Comments

[phillipalden.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested in seeing it once.

(Cute icon BTW)

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

I'll keep it then :)

[mister-sunshine.livejournal.com]

I'm curious enough to see it.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Most LARPers I've known either tire of it or graduate to the SCA after a few years. The ones who don't are, well, very sad people.

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

Most LARPers I've known either tire of it or graduate to the SCA after a few years. The ones who don't are, well, very sad people.

See that was just it, everyone in it seemed so...pathetic. I'm not sure if the documentary director went out of his way to emphasize that or if that's just what he/she encountered, but it was unrelentingly depressing. At least in Trekkers you had this sense of fun, many loved ST because of what it represented, or they just saw it as silly and enjoyable. But in Darkon it was all about escaping reality, creating a fantasy life and finding it far more fulfilling and enjoyable than the real one. As you say, in a word, sad.

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

I'll hang onto it then :)

[aelfsciene.livejournal.com]

I have no comment about how familiar that sounds. o.O

I am curious, but I am depressed enough on my own right now, and should probably not risk it.

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

I would recommend against it unless you really want to have some flashbacks to the worst fan-related/gaming-related experiences of your life.

[(Anonymous)]

We've had any number of wanna-be documentary folks inquire about our LARP, but we've been pretty careful about letting them in. It's just too easy to play up the loser aspect, and ignore the fun that's being had by the participants.