You may have heard, the new theme we’ll be focusing on for our new season is Play. Everything that happens in game will remain as is, but for us, the real people, we’ll be focusing on Play.
What exactly is Play in the context of DRNY?
Play is a lot of things. It’s community, it’s connection, it’s escape, it can be almost anything you want it to be. At Dystopia Rising New York, we’re a group of people from all different walks of life that have come together for the same reason, to play. As kids, many of us played dress up or ‘brewed potions’ in the woods, and now as adults we get to do it all again. Some of the themes of Play we’ll be focusing on can be broken down into 3 main ideas: Community, Escapism, and Creating your own you.
Community:
When we play together, we connect and build community together. For one weekend, dozens if not hundreds of us come together. We laugh together, share food together, and we fight together. By allowing ourselves to just have fun and embrace joy together, we can build support networks and meet lifelong friends. Expanding beyond our community, our team plans to support a holiday charity bringing toys for kids to also embrace play. More information on that to come.
Escapism:
Life as an adult can be hard, it can be monotonous, and it can even be scary. We dream of taking a vacation and getting away from it all. For one weekend, you can do that. Disconnect from technology and the world and take one weekend to focus on having fun. While we’re out playing our minds are distracted and we are free to leave everything behind, if even just for a short time. At the end of it all, we pack our bags and continue on with our lives, but we still hold the memories we’ve created together. Just imagine that, one weekend outside with your friends uninterrupted by the world.
Creating your own you:
One of the beautiful parts of larp is the ability to build your own identity. It’s a chance for you to embrace being someone else. From what we wear, to who we talk with, to what level of responsibility we hold, all of that is in our control. We can laugh, we can be cringe, we can express ourselves in ways that bring us joy. As long as we can acknowledge the player behind the character, we are free to be what we want.
I want you to take time at your next event to let loose and enjoy yourself. Have fun, spread the joy, and embrace playing the game.
We’ll see you in Requiem!