Readers, Why Do You Read LitRPG?

It combines my two loves, games and stories.
It really is that simple for the reader and writer side of me.
The only thing I demand from the book I read is a sense of empathy with the MC. I can hate him but I need to feel what he does, I need a reason to invest in the journey.

 

I like the idea that we might be able to use signals to the brain to create a virtual experience around us someday. Especially in the case of some of the more popular series where there is a drive to enter that world leaving this one for a reason other than escapism. Giving our consciousness the ability to live on indefinitely, or until the servers crash anyway. Also, since I play the more immersive and detail driven RPGs that level not just combat stats, I like much of the litRPG out there that keeps that "level up" in mind. What I get distracted by are series where there is no driving force to keep the players in the game world other than just playing the game and making money. And where there is no threat pushing them there, be it catastrophe, disease, or physical threat, it just doesn't make the story as engaging.

 

I've thought long about this before I decided to write a response, since through a series of happy accidents I was a writer first before I was a reader, and I still haven't read a lot, so in a way I'm not totally qualified as a 'reader'.

So I thought hard and long, and this is me as a reader.

I'm actually looking for 'game' -- where the writer lays out explicit rules and shows you what tools the characters have, then show me in creative ways how they 'win' using these rules (or break them in creative ways). Several things come with this that I really enjoy:
- Characters thinking about the rules
- Characters experimenting with their abilities to learn more about the rules
- Characters getting better at the game, learning from their mistakes (tied in with the second point)
- Real strategies

LitRPG settings should be perfect for this, yet I found myself struggling trying to find actual 'game' within a lot of LitRPG. Yes, grand adventures and the spirit of discovery is good, but I can get that from standard fantasy and sci-fi (and generally with better writing and editing). I'm here for the game, but most of the time I'm not getting the kind of game that I'm looking for. VRMMORPGs might seem game-y in nature, but if I don't know exactly how the whole system works, and if I cannot see the whole design and how the characters fit within them, it's just a fantasy world. Badly done, and it's a fantasy world that cheaps its way out of having a real economy and a political structure in place.

By 'game' I mean actual game, not 'people in a video game' or 'people in a game-like world', which are settings, not game itself. A good example of game that I know of so far, I think, is the Hero of Thera contract bit. You get told the rule first what the item does. Then you get to see it applied in a creative way.

Distributing stats is fun and all, but it's not game-y if you just do whatever with them (as the plot demands). It may be atmosphere-y, it's mood-and-tone-y, it's nostalgia-inducing because it reminds readers of the fond memories they have from playing these games, but it's not game. It's only game when you're stuck in a cave with a monster waiting to kill you outside, and you happen to level, and you somehow put your available points in X, because you need to use Spell Y, because it allows you to beat that monster by some crazy application somehow. That's game. Setting up X and Y in a way readers can understand beforehand is very hard to do. But then that's craft.

Now, you can make up for a lot of this through good characters, fun interactions, and creative game design, which can be really entertaining to read, but please, please, give me more game.

 

I think my answer is probably a bit worrying; but I hope that in the not too distant future, in my lifetime, we will have games that you can be trapped in and live out your days.

I would much rather be a sexy virtual avatar in a game world, fighting terrible monsters and living the life of adventure then the shut-in nerd I am in the real world. LitRPG is just total wish-fulfillment on my part.

I am the sort of person who would volunteer to be thrown into a virtual reality; even if there was a risk of being trapped there.

We don't have much opportunity in the real world for magic or bravery when you're a fat nerd living in the suburbs working 9-5. There's very little wonderment to the world of reality. And you can't ride a unicorn, or hunt a demon. You can't live that idealised version of yourself; and that's what a virtual world offers. To be that heroic person you can't be in reality. I think that's why it does so well with the YA crowd.

 

For me, I've always loved games and the immersion. Either MMOs or just RPG-styled games (like Dragon Age, the Witcher, etc.) are my favorites. I have some fun in other types, but the ones I like have storylines and NPCs I end up loving (or hating as the case may be) that draw me into 'being in that world', at least for a little while. Lately, I feel like a lot of games are just losing that feeling, even the older ones, like WoW and SWTOR, etc. Granted, I haven't played every MMO out there so not saying it doesn't exist, but a lot of them seem to be streamlining, simplifying, and just half-slapping storyline on top of game play with minimal interaction and worldbuilding. And I really miss those rich, interactive worlds where I felt 'lost' in them.

GameLit/LitRPG are sort of a way for me to get back into that feeling, even if it's not in an actual game. I've always loved reading so it sort of combines the fun of being lost in a story and being immersed in a 'game world'. So I guess that's true. It is a bit of a replacement for the feelings that I've lost. I've tried to get back into MMOs more, but all the old ones have just lost their luster and none of the new ones have (so far) been really what I wanted either. With reading LitRPG, I can get back into the feeling, at least partially. That's another reason I really enjoy writing it too. It allows me to get back that feeling and hopefully share it with others.

 

This is a really interesting take on the genre. It is interesting, because the novel I'm writing is not one of Escapism away from reality, but a sort of Escapism toward a higher calling. The players are actually trying to do something very heroic in the the real world. And, I think that really speaks to two parts of this, both the desire for the fantastical, mythical awesomeness of life, but also the desire for a rich, deep, important meaningful life that matters to other people around us.

We'll see if I can pull it off though.

 

I started by devouring everything when I first realized it was a thing, but have since become far more selective.

I like it because I’ve been a gamer most my life and enjoy stories set in these worlds I can relate to.

The reason I don’t consume everything I encounter anymore is because I’ve been turned off by some themes, portrayals of women, lack of plot/emotional narrative, and technical skill in some series.

The right (and wrong) buttons:
- Correct grammar
- Not recycling jokes and or descriptions over and over
- A gripping emotional component of the story
- Goals that consist of more than just leveling up
- Endings that occur after the protagonist has accomplished something important
- No Harems sex jokes or ogling every member of the opposite sex that enters the story
- A diversified vocabulary
- No pop culture or political jokes that would be noticed by someone who has never heard of the source material
- No stealing races, monsters, and settings from dungeons and dragons (beholders, the underdark, evil white haired drow elves, etc)
- Not trying too hard to be funny

 

"- No stealing races, monsters, and settings from dungeons and dragons (beholders, the underdark, evil white haired drow elves, etc)"

What if Gary Gygax helped design the Game from beyond the grave?

 

This. Very much this. You're post made me realize one of my pet peeves with the genre.

GameLIT (and especially LitRPG) are unique in the fantasy / sci-fi sphere precisely because of their GAME elements. Here's the problem. Most writers, especially new ones, don't have ANY experience with game theory or systems and game design. This can lead to a work falling extremely flat (or even failing outright) in this regard. All games, no matter how simple or complex, or on what scale they are played, follow a very specific, codified set of rules. When these rules are laid out clearly by the author and FOLLOWED WITHOUT FAIL BY EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING IN THE GAME WORLD, then the overall experience can feel like a solid, well put together game that is enjoyable to both watch and play.

Imagine if you were watching the Red Sox take on the Yankees, and Derek Jeter pops a fly to the shortstop. Even though the ball is caught he continues to round the bases, steps on home plate, and just says "It's cool, I'm Derek Jeter, I'm immune to outs." and the ump gives the Yankees a point.

THIS is what it feels like when your character breaks the rules of your world. What the hell is the point of watching/reading at that point?

If you haven't even decided what the rules of your system/game ARE, it's like one team playing football, one team playing soccer, and a third playing baseball, all on the same field. It gets to be total chaos and makes no f-ing sense whatsoever.

So do your readers a favor. If your new to the genre, don't neglect boning up on game design and theory during your research, it's literally half the genre. Extra Credits is a good place to start.