- Gordon Dumoulin
LARPing, the new hot entertainment trend in China...
The new, hot entertainment trend in China, LARPing has experienced an explosive growth among Chinese youth in the past year. ‘Live Action Role Play’ing is usually centered around solving a mystery or plot (usually a murder case) with a group of people.
After a TV show in 2016 with this format, it has gained popularity but really took off in 2020. In a study, almost 85% of Chinese netizens surveyed have participated in a LARP game either online or offline and the LARP market is estimated to reach approximately USD 263 million by the end of 2021, up from about 154 million USD in 2019. The number of ‘offline’ LARP studios reached 30,000 by November 2020 in China, 150% growth from 2019.
A typical LARP experience usually takes place among a group of 4-12 players and lasts for 3-5 hours each session, depending on the complexity of the script. But there are also full day programs or even overnight LARP sessions with fully immersive experiences in elaborate settings. New concepts adding special themes (ancient dramas are popular), dressing up, intrigues, and drama have gained immense popularity.
For the younger generations, a welcoming escape once in a while from traditional social and professional networks, routines, roles and expectations.
The role-playing murder mystery craze saw first light in the West in the 1980’s with board games was such as Cluedo and Mafia (Werewolf).
Read more about LARPing in this article by Radii China : https://radiichina.com/larp-china/