You are a larp. The acronym LARPing, or larping, originated as an offshoot of popular role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons; specifically, it means “live action role-playing,” which was used to describe players who acted out in-game movements and dressed in costumes compared to simply playing at the table. However, the term’s meaning has deviated from its origins in the fantasy role-playing game; today, the term is used widely in pop culture, often being used to substitute the word “pretending.” Although there’s not an exact definition, LARPing is resemblant of the motto “fake it till you make it,” where an individual acts with confidence until they no longer need to, either because they’ve achieved the skills and traits they wanted or because this “faking” is no longer called for.
Regardless of its meaning, however, the term often carries a negative connotation because by pretending to be something you’re not, you are building an identity upon falsehoods. In other words, calling someone a “LARPer” generally means you are calling them out for being inauthentic, or, for the lack of a better word, a poser. Yet under this classification, it’s hard not to describe everyone as a larp, or at least having some elements of a larp. Anyone who lacks some familiarity with a topic and tries to answer a question is larping to some extent; anyone who ad-libs a tough follow-up question in class is larping, and so this negative connotation must be called into question. Just what part of projecting confidence in itself is truly wrong? A larger identity based on ad-libbing certainly has this negative value, but as a temporary measure, it can even be beneficial.
Because larping is not really sustainable over the long term, the act encourages you to actually learn until you possess authentic self-assurance about a topic. It’s an easy way to dip your toes into a subject; if the topic doesn’t interest you in the end, the way out is just as easy: stop larping. You aren’t yet committed to becoming a full expert, but at the very least, you’re informed. As many a club leader has likely said this year to prospective members, “You can just larp; you don’t actually need prior knowledge.” This flexibility is rather unique — it is certainly much harder to justify your presence in a specialized interest group without some excuse, and “I’m just larping, I don’t really care” might be the strongest and easiest one when it comes to igniting an actual passion.