Monster Camp

Last nite at San Jose Cinequest. A very interesting film about folks in Live Action RolePlaying and how the hobby has defined or even taken over their life. The film covers the romantic angle too, with couples both meeting and breaking up over "in game" issues. Altho the film is about "L.A.R.P." is could well be about SCA, Renfaire, D&D or even Massive Multiplayer Online games. It touches a bit on that last, with a couple of the guys in the film admitting they spend over 40 hours a week playing WOW. Of course a film about slackers playing computer games would be a tad boring.

What I particularly like is the balance shown by the film-makers. They show the good and the bad, with no apparent bias. Intelligent and thought-provoking, with a number of very funny moments and a few poignant ones too.

I had no idea that LARPing was so complicated. I loved seeing people enjoying themselves at NERO and being exposed to a world I didn't know much about. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, because I feel the documentary makers should have spent a little more time explaining what was going on, but I'm glad I saw Monster Camp.

So I was also a participant in this documentary when it was shot, and I've played at a few different chapters across the country.

Actually, when I saw the film I was surprised at how even-handed it actually was. There's a lot of drama queens that LARP, and there's no way any film made about a NERO chapter would have appealed to all of them. I mean, there's so much drama in the NERO universe that there's controversy over who started NERO in the first place.

Some of my family members have watched this movie and now finally have a grasp on what it is I actually do with some of my weekends. More importantly, they came away from the film with a greater sense of understanding.

Another NERO member said that the lizard guys in the photo quit shortly after shooting, which is true. To that point, oddball types float in and out of the game all of the time, and they usually play the monsters who don't know the rules well. The film covered the die-hards and the more pathetic participants (even though they really do get a chance to speak for themselves).

NERO is a community. It attracts all types. Sure the film doesn't follow the in-game plot; but come on fellow Larpers, that stuff is only interesting to us. This film seems to have been crafted to appeal to people besides just us. It focuses on real drama that comes with trying to make our fantasy work! That's probably why it was more than just another you tube video showing people hitting each other with padded weapons.

Of the characters profiled in the film, I knew about 40% of them. While they are more complex than the film reveals, I didn't think that they were misrepresented. I thought it did a better job at providing an even-handed perspective for them than King of Kong did for Billy Mitchell. Additionally, those I have talked to who were in the film by and large were satisfied with how they were portrayed.

I'm glad I was documented in this project. If nothing else, I'd say watch it and see for yourself.

This movie really didn't accomplish what it could have accomplished. The last five minutes of this movie were brilliant, but the rest was a bit of a let down. If you are going to make a movie like this you had better either 1) make fun of them, 2) have a heck of a story like in king of kong, or 3) dive into the psychology of these people. Clearly the director was going for number three. Except he only scratched the edges, he was afraid to puncture anything and to find any emotional resonance. These people aren't normal. They're weird, they know it, but they have stories to tell. Why are they doing it? How was high school for them? Do they feel happy with life? Does the fantasy world compensate for the areas in their lives that are so sorely lacking? And what of the future? At the end of the movie we're left with few real authentic answers. And the answers that are given, much like the subjects of the film, are too awkward to carry any real weight.

If you want to watch a movie about a weird group of people, start with anything Louis Theroux has ever done or watch a few of Errol Morris' films like The Gates of Heaven or Vernon, Florida. Those movies actually look deeper into humanity rather than just saying, "well, it's a bit weird but hey they make friends so it's OK!" Without ever asking the question, "why couldn't they make these friends on the outside"

Director Cullen Hoback dives into the world of live-action roleplaying.

In Seattle, a group of young men and women gather every year to live out their fantasy-based fantasies. They dress up as warriors and monsters and re-enact battles based on World of Warcraft.

The group, known as NERO (New England Roleplaying Organization), follows the rules outlined in their 184-page rulebook. Throwing packets of birdseed (which they use as spells to cast) and hitting one another with padded swords, the players spend 48 consecutive hours as their characters.

Hoback's film does a wonderful job of being informative about the NERO culture, while at the same time, telling the stories of quite a large amount of participants.

An important note: the film does not make fun of these people. While it might have been easy to make a film at their expense, Hoback does not do this. The themes of this film are companionship, escapism, and most importantly, imagination.

Monster Camp is extremely entertaining. If you get a chance to watch it, do yourself the favor and get some friends together one night and check it out.