The Upgrade’s premise is a least common denominator of television entertainment. Couples are chosen and flown to an exotic resort. Then they are broken up and formed into new couples that
date beneath the glare of the cameras. In the end, there is a closed vote where all participants decide whether they would like to stay in their old relationships or “upgrade” to the new one.
If both “new” partners vote to upgrade, they are lavishly rewarded. In contrast, couples that survive the upgrade process enter the Hall of Faith and receive a modest prize. Couples that split their votes – well, that’s good TV. The audience may also select a “couple of the week”, forcing likely (or unlikely) pairings by popular mandate.
The Upgrade! is filmed in part before a live studio audience.
The Upgrade! is a cynical and increasingly less satirical take on reality TV – especially the sub genre that is about dating and ‘romance’. When I’ve run it in the past, it can swing wildly between pure send-up comedy to (sometimes very) dark satire of the motivations and structures behind this kind of show. It uses a style of LARP called Jeepform, which was a push back against a perception that “good” larp needed to involve deep character immersion and uninterrupted play. The Upgrade! was originally designed as a bit of a showcase for different techniques and structures, and there’s a strong influence from improv games.
It’s a lot of fun to play, but it’s also that very rare of LARPs where it is also a lot of fun to watch, and so it is encouraged to have a “studio audience” that laughs, cheers and boos along with our cast of hopefuls. Audience members are not required to signup or pay the event fee, but may be called on to add suggestions or play small roles, although nothing is mandatory.
You should play this LARP if
– you like things turned to 11
– comedy, satire and critical takedowns are a thing you enjoy
You should avoid this LARP if
– fast-paced wackiness is a turn-off
– reality TV nonsense is more likely to make you seeing-red angry than snarky
– you do not want an audience
If you wish to sign up for The Upgrade!, please click here. It is running on Sunday, February 15, from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM. It is organized by James Brown
Characters for this game are pre-written, and will be provided to all players ahead of time, but chosen at the start of play. Costumes are not needed, but wear clothes you’re comfortable moving around in.
Signups for this LARP are on a first come, first serve basis. There is a minimum number of 8 players for the event to run, and it caps at 12. The roles are gendered, and evenly split between hetero presenting men and women. Audience members do not need to sign up or pay the event fee. Players and audience 18+ only, please.
Prairie LARP 