Jesus Christ guys. You really are fighting over different definitions of Roleplaying.
According to your definition Xant any medieval combat training with wooden swords are roleplay. Same goes for solders training for combat as they shoot blank shots. Roleplay? Paintball..... Roleplay?
This is not my defition of roleplaying, hence I tend to agree with Elric. You can call it a game or whatever. But it ain't roleplay as the "acting" is out.
I find an essential part of roleplaying being that you take on a different role. You play another person. These guys aren't acting or playing another person. They just playing. Not roleplaying.
What is funny is that you implicitly took Elrics comments on rpg as an offense. While I understand his words can be interpreted in that way (More dangerous = more cool = less gaming that rpg = better) and that might be where he is going though he might not admit it.
While I don't do Larps no more because I don't like the padded weapons and the general immature acting and focus on fantastical elements, roleplaying with reenactors I believe to be hugely fun. And that my friends could be called roleplaying just with more shiny equipment.
So tl;dr Xant, unless you categorize boxing, Karate and Football as roleplaying, you can't call what Elric is doing for Roleplaying.
You are however justified in calling it playing. But That was not really the discussion was it?
