Oh wow, it's cool to see Dystopia Rising show up here. DR is the LARP I play in. I've had discussions about "bleed" with the author of this article on the Dystopia Rising facebook page, and she has some really fantastic ideas about debriefings being held after each game. I think I can safely tell you that the bleed I feel after a Dystopia Rising game is vastly different from the bleed I feel from an FFXIV plot.
In FFXIV, I am much more likely to experience bleed in. I feel that I am my character's strongest advocate. When bad things happen to them, or I feel they're being treated unfairly, I feel bad for them (even if I'm the one making sure this stuff happens to them). I, more than anyone else, knows my characters struggle, so I root for them. Of course I want them to succeed. It's very easy to get wrapped up in those emotions. It's almost like my character are a relative and I want to look after them sometimes. When those emotions get too strong, I have to pull back a little and take a break until the emotions subside and I can deal with it rationally. This usually takes a couple of hours because I'm aware that it's a game, and a collaborative story. I don't have or want full control over what happens in my character, and can always spin the things that cause bleed into a jumping off point.
In Dystopia Rising, the things that happen to my character happen to me. Bleed-out is rampant. When my character can get no sleep because zombies have burst into the shelter he's resting in, I have to physically get up and fight off a bunch of people in costumes with a latex covered sword and shield. When he's hungry and tired from long marches and looking for supplies to bring down to the camp, I'm the one feeling the hunger, the exhaustion, and the paranoia of being exposed in dangerous territory. After a Dystopia Rising event I come home a completely different person, and a lot of people at DR talk about feeling the same way.
It's common for a lot of people to want to go to restaurants after events, mostly to mingle, but I've talked with others who say, and I'm among them, that it's a jarring reminder that they've returned to civilization. You just can't get a Red Robin burger in the wastelands. When I get home, the immediate shower I take is the first time I've been actually alone in three days, and I'm enjoying having a little bit of privacy but also kind of worried that someone is going to burst through the door and I'll have to beat them to death with the shower curtain rod. For at least three days I check the surroundings of my car for attackers. I approach blind corners slowly. I always, always, know where my exits are and how many people are around me at any given time. When that song or commercial I hate comes on the radio during my morning commute to work, I don't mind anymore. Do you know how much of a miracle it is that these things even exist?! It sure as shit beats the banjo and bongo combo of Mark and Sand crooning by the bonfire!
I'd say a large part of the difference is because of the immersive nature of DR vs. the video-gameyness of FFXIV. Plus, I can always log out of FFXIV. When DR gets too intense, I have a three hour drive home.
In FFXIV, I am much more likely to experience bleed in. I feel that I am my character's strongest advocate. When bad things happen to them, or I feel they're being treated unfairly, I feel bad for them (even if I'm the one making sure this stuff happens to them). I, more than anyone else, knows my characters struggle, so I root for them. Of course I want them to succeed. It's very easy to get wrapped up in those emotions. It's almost like my character are a relative and I want to look after them sometimes. When those emotions get too strong, I have to pull back a little and take a break until the emotions subside and I can deal with it rationally. This usually takes a couple of hours because I'm aware that it's a game, and a collaborative story. I don't have or want full control over what happens in my character, and can always spin the things that cause bleed into a jumping off point.
In Dystopia Rising, the things that happen to my character happen to me. Bleed-out is rampant. When my character can get no sleep because zombies have burst into the shelter he's resting in, I have to physically get up and fight off a bunch of people in costumes with a latex covered sword and shield. When he's hungry and tired from long marches and looking for supplies to bring down to the camp, I'm the one feeling the hunger, the exhaustion, and the paranoia of being exposed in dangerous territory. After a Dystopia Rising event I come home a completely different person, and a lot of people at DR talk about feeling the same way.
It's common for a lot of people to want to go to restaurants after events, mostly to mingle, but I've talked with others who say, and I'm among them, that it's a jarring reminder that they've returned to civilization. You just can't get a Red Robin burger in the wastelands. When I get home, the immediate shower I take is the first time I've been actually alone in three days, and I'm enjoying having a little bit of privacy but also kind of worried that someone is going to burst through the door and I'll have to beat them to death with the shower curtain rod. For at least three days I check the surroundings of my car for attackers. I approach blind corners slowly. I always, always, know where my exits are and how many people are around me at any given time. When that song or commercial I hate comes on the radio during my morning commute to work, I don't mind anymore. Do you know how much of a miracle it is that these things even exist?! It sure as shit beats the banjo and bongo combo of Mark and Sand crooning by the bonfire!
I'd say a large part of the difference is because of the immersive nature of DR vs. the video-gameyness of FFXIV. Plus, I can always log out of FFXIV. When DR gets too intense, I have a three hour drive home.
![[Image: BZneHYK.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/BZneHYK.jpg)
No Gods and Precious Few Heroes
