Live action role-playing games new bonanza

LARP enthusiasts spend big time money on chance to find 'killers' in virtual sleuth tests

Donning traditional Chinese hanfu apparel and exquisite headwear, Jiang Zi, daughter of an established family during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), was questioning a servant, trying to find out who killed her father.

Wait a minute! This is not from a television drama, it is an LARP, or live action role-playing game. LARP games have quickly gained in popularity among younger consumers in the country over the past year, spawning a multibillion dollar business.

LARP games, the most popular of which is jubensha, usually involves a "whodunnit" murder mystery script. Each participant has a different role to play without the knowledge of other players. Participants act out their roles while others try to nab the killer.

Together with seven friends, Jiang, a 25-year-old Beijing-based State-owned investment firm employee, had been involved in one particular game for nearly three hours. Every player tried to find out inconsistencies in other players to determine who committed the butchery.

"Not only do we get the thrill of finding the killer, over even being killers ourselves, but we also have the chance to experience a character's story that is totally different from our own reality, which is a good way to escape from the monotony of day-to-day life," Jiang said.

"It is amazing that such an experience can bond several players together, which is much more interesting than other social activities like karaoke. You will never be awkward to speak up for yourself during a LARP game since it is not reality," she added.

According to a report from the Meituan Research Institute, sales revenue of the country's LARP market is expected to exceed 15 billion yuan ($2.32 billion) this year, with the number of consumers hitting 9.4 million.

More than 40 percent of fans play LARP at least once a week. Some devotees don't hesitate to spend as much as 3,000 yuan per month, the report said.

For many other game lovers, they enjoy the process of reasoning and argumentation. "It is a funny process seeing different people's personalities and ways of speaking," said Hu Chunlin, a 29-year-old internet worker who pays around 300 yuan for each round at least twice a month.

The Meituan report also noted that over 70 percent of consumers of such games are under the age of 30. Hu, who also met his girlfriend during a LARP game, said that it is one of the few social activities that he truly enjoys.

"Also, we often say that we see a third life while playing such games. The first life is the one that you are born with and the second life is the ideal life that you are dreaming of. The third life helps you to view this world in a broader perspective, which triggers you to ponder over your first life and to make changes to transit to the second life," he said.

LARP games, adapted from the Murder & Mystery Party that has been popular in Western countries, is regarded as a form of interactive literature or theater because of the participation of the audience.

The game's popularity further soared following the launch of the reality TV show Who's the Murderer in 2016 in China. With its first episode being watched by 300,000 viewers, the show raised the recognition of LARP among the public.

Data analytics firm Tianyancha said that the number of registered companies related to LARP games saw an explosive growth last year and exceeded 30,000 as of August this year. It was a sharp contrast to less than 1,000 registered companies five years ago.