Play to lose: Difference between revisions
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Playing to lose is a theory and technique wherein players deliberately aim for failure as an objective, in order to create drama for their stories and characters<ref>Nordic Larp Wiki [https://www.nordiclarp.org/wiki/Playing_to_lose 'Playing to Lose']. Retrieved 7th February 2026.</ref>. | Playing to lose is a theory and technique wherein players deliberately aim for failure as an objective, in order to create drama for their stories and characters<ref>Nordic Larp Wiki [https://www.nordiclarp.org/wiki/Playing_to_lose 'Playing to Lose']. Retrieved 7th February 2026.</ref>.' | ||
It contrasts against other approaches to games such as "[[Play to Win]]", "Play to Find Out", and "Play to Lift"<ref>Susanne Vedjemo (2018), [https://www.nordiclarp.org/2018/02/21/play-lift-not-just-lose/ 'Play to Lift, Not Just Lose'.] Retrieved 7th February 2026.</ref>. | It is a [[Meta-Technique]] which often requires the participants to maintain active separation between ''player'' and ''character'', as it is the player who wants to lose, '''not''' the character, who would often arguably attempt to act in their own best interests<ref>Epic Armoury (2026) [https://epicarmoury.com/blogs/news/have-you-heard-of-play-to-lose-and-play-to-lift-in-larp Have You Heard of Play to Lose and Play to Live in Larp?] Retrieved 19 August 2026.</ref>. Some people find this approach challenging to act out and go against the self-preserving impulse in a live game environment. | ||
It contrasts against other approaches to games such as "[[Play to Win]]", "Play to Find Out", and "[[Play to Lift]]"<ref>Susanne Vedjemo (2018), [https://www.nordiclarp.org/2018/02/21/play-lift-not-just-lose/ 'Play to Lift, Not Just Lose'.] Retrieved 7th February 2026.</ref>. | |||
Some games encourage it as a shared foundational principle of how the community should engage with a game, such as College of Wizardry. However, it is not universally accepted and has its critics. Jamie Harper wrote on it through a "dramaturgical critique" in which he argued that "...players who play to lose in dramatic scenarios that offer some representation of the world are undermining the logical foundations of the story world in which they are playing. In other words, playing to lose creates illogical story worlds in larp."<ref>Harper, Jamie (2016) Notes on Agency and Design: A love letter to larp from the hinterland of UK participatory drama. In: Särkijärvi J, Loponen M, & Kangas K (eds) ''Larp Realia: Analysis, Design, and Discussions of Nordic Larp''. p.130-138. ISBN 978-952-93-6828-0.</ref> Some larps leave it up to players to decide for themselves which approach best suits them and their desired game experiences. | Some games encourage it as a shared foundational principle of how the community should engage with a game, such as College of Wizardry. However, it is not universally accepted and has its critics. Jamie Harper wrote on it through a "dramaturgical critique" in which he argued that "...players who play to lose in dramatic scenarios that offer some representation of the world are undermining the logical foundations of the story world in which they are playing. In other words, playing to lose creates illogical story worlds in larp."<ref>Harper, Jamie (2016) Notes on Agency and Design: A love letter to larp from the hinterland of UK participatory drama. In: Särkijärvi J, Loponen M, & Kangas K (eds) ''Larp Realia: Analysis, Design, and Discussions of Nordic Larp''. p.130-138. ISBN 978-952-93-6828-0.</ref> Some larps leave it up to players to decide for themselves which approach best suits them and their desired game experiences. | ||
Latest revision as of 03:09, 19 August 2026
Playing to lose is a theory and technique wherein players deliberately aim for failure as an objective, in order to create drama for their stories and characters[1].'
It is a Meta-Technique which often requires the participants to maintain active separation between player and character, as it is the player who wants to lose, not the character, who would often arguably attempt to act in their own best interests[2]. Some people find this approach challenging to act out and go against the self-preserving impulse in a live game environment.
It contrasts against other approaches to games such as "Play to Win", "Play to Find Out", and "Play to Lift"[3].
Some games encourage it as a shared foundational principle of how the community should engage with a game, such as College of Wizardry. However, it is not universally accepted and has its critics. Jamie Harper wrote on it through a "dramaturgical critique" in which he argued that "...players who play to lose in dramatic scenarios that offer some representation of the world are undermining the logical foundations of the story world in which they are playing. In other words, playing to lose creates illogical story worlds in larp."[4] Some larps leave it up to players to decide for themselves which approach best suits them and their desired game experiences.
Example games
- College of Wizardry - in 2014, CoW encouraged participants to play to lose, stating: "We want drama, escalation of conflicts and de-escalation back to normalcy again. We want intrigues and friendships. And most of all, we want to make sure that all players know that here it's more fun playing to lose - you'll get better drama and awesome scenes." [5]
See also
References
- ↑ Nordic Larp Wiki 'Playing to Lose'. Retrieved 7th February 2026.
- ↑ Epic Armoury (2026) Have You Heard of Play to Lose and Play to Live in Larp? Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ Susanne Vedjemo (2018), 'Play to Lift, Not Just Lose'. Retrieved 7th February 2026.
- ↑ Harper, Jamie (2016) Notes on Agency and Design: A love letter to larp from the hinterland of UK participatory drama. In: Särkijärvi J, Loponen M, & Kangas K (eds) Larp Realia: Analysis, Design, and Discussions of Nordic Larp. p.130-138. ISBN 978-952-93-6828-0.
- ↑ College of Wizardry cited in p.41 of Kamm, B.O., Becker, J. (2016). Live-Action Role-Play or the Performance of Realities. In: Kaneda, T., Kanegae, H., Toyoda, Y., Rizzi, P. (eds) Simulation and Gaming in the Network Society. Translational Systems Sciences, vol 9. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0575-6_4
External links
- Nordic larp wiki entry on Play to Lose