Gra z tabu: podejście młodych uczestników larpów do trudnych tematów [PL]

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore how the presence of taboo areas influences the experience of live action role-playing games (larps) as a form of entertainment among young adults. The analysis covers both the participants’ attitudes toward taboo topics in games and in their everyday social environments. Adopting a cultural studies perspective, larps are treated as a cultural practice interconnected with broader phenomena of contemporary culture. The study is based on a survey conducted among 41 larp participants aged 16–26. Their responses were analyzed qualitatively with reference to literature in the fields of anthropology, cultural studies, game studies, and developmental psychology. The findings indicate that respondents primarily perceive taboos as linguistic and communicative phenomena associated with silence. The main taboo areas identified include religion, sexuality, violence, death (particularly among high school-aged individuals), as well as politics and socioeconomic status (among those aged 19–26). Larps were found to provide a space where difficult topics could be addressed more freely than in family or formal contexts. Some players expressed willingness to engage with any narrative theme. This openness was linked to the perception of larps as resembling public space and friendships—contexts considered to be less regulated by taboos. At the same time, responses revealed differences in the perception of this space depending on players’ age and experience. Younger participants appeared more influenced by external and demographic factors, whereas older ones relied more on personal relationships and preferred organizational structures. Differences were also observed in the way responses were formulated between high school students and university students, suggesting the development of postformal thinking during this period and shifts in social evaluation (of both others and oneself) in response to the questions asked.