Slate Magazine has an article on Live Action Role Playing (LARPS) and a documentary that was made about one of the larger events, Darkon. The article is a good commentary on societal bonds and how people are not interacting with each other like they used to.

Slate: Feel the Sting of My Foam Sword

“But no matter how many people it helps to get laid, Americans will always be suspicious of adults playing a game of make-believe as gloriously and goofily unself-conscious as Darkon.

Ok, the article is NOT about who Live Action Role Playing can get you laid, but that was my favorite quote. I’m thinking about starting up a minor league version for lazy people. Maybe we could tone it down and just simulate things with dice, or something.

One thing the author does not get into are the economics of free time and the draws of competing hobbies and interests. Obviously people need time to pursue non-work-related interests, and that can often be a challenge unless you make that a lifestyle priority. Actually, put that way it seems simple, but anyone with a stack of books they haven’t gotten too knows what I’m talking about.

The other end is competing hobbies. With the unparalleled access to information and to like-minded individuals that we have, primarily through the internet, we have the option to pursue any interest that we want. I think that definitely has an impact on how much we interact with our neighbors. We no longer have to rely on people within a certain proximity in order to socialize. But doing things remotely, on the computer, is certainly not the same as hanging out at a neighborhood BBQ, and will not build the same local community bonds. I think the lessoning of localized relationships does have a negative impact.