What's a good definition of LitRPG?

So if I want to create electronic literature out of litRPG, can just I call it "elitRPG"?

 

1337RPG?

 

I'm new to these whole internet things but if we could term it like that it would be cool. E-lit stands for electronic literature which can be used to make a new branch of litRPG, and I'm thinking to write a short story with simple turn-based RPG integrated as a start.

 

Thank you, Christopher Keene!

 

I'm only on page 7 so excuse me for bringing this up again...still? But this is how I think of LitRPG as a reader. There are fantasy LitRPG, and scifi LitRPG. Being someone who craves magic I suppose it makes sense that I read almost exclusively the former. The connection, the LitRPG aspect, is that there are clear gaming mechanics involved. Even if the world isn't a gaming or virtual world, there is a structure that exists in all RPGs. We, the reader, will see clear character progression (call it levels if you must), a way to quantify skills and abilities, and inclusive world building that fits clear 'rules'. The biggest thing to remember here is this: RPG. If your story can't translate into a game (regardless of the fantasy or scifi) then it's likely not going to fit into LitRPG.
Someone mentioned 'sufficient magic' earlier. I found it on amazon through a LitRPG search. However thinking back on it, I don't recall it having any 'stats' windows, or skill level ups. I suppose the argument is that it does not qualify as a LitRPG piece of literature. I would say however that it could be easily turned into an RPG. There are always going to be outliers in any field of writing just like there are examples that exemplify the genre.

Anyway. I'm not an author (yet?) but I am a voracious reader. When I read LitRPG I expect RPG elements...though if it's a good fantasy I will forgive the lack (#becausemagic). I hope this is somewhat helpful, or at least interesting (or at the very least not frustrating)

 

well there are technicaly a few stats in the book but there not done through stat windows the matters definitely up for debate but i call SAM soft litrpg

 

why thank you =)

 

Game-like progression in a gameified world. That's pretty much it.
If the stats matter, you have LitRPG.

 

I have the partcular challenge, is while mine technically fits under MMORPG like, it's closer to JRPG than say Skyrim. So it would naturally have different elements. Plus the "Game Universe", that's only marketed as being a game, but is really an alternate universe which the dystopian government wants to control. Thus it would almost defeat the purpose of having things like stats, as it reduces the emmersive experience.

Voreth's Promise is only made to look like a game, as a form of abtract mind control, and is closer to an artificial universe, with its own history and customs that was originally matching our own, but evolved significantly in a different direction.

So I'm not sure what else you'd call it.

 

It's why some of us came together and made GameLit. Although, I'm sure people may debate for and against your book being LitRPG, I doubt there would be any problem claiming GameLit.

 

I might try that, although it's prequel is even stranger.

In the main book though, not only are they in a game, when they log out they still have "residuals" where MCs from the pseudo-game make for themselves Meatspace avatars and life in our world.

 

Glad we solved that one!

 

I think one aspect of contention for me: I've beginning to wonder if mine is a different subset of GameLit than LitRPG. It's closer to Point And Click/Visual Novel/Roguelike, with extremely minimal combat elements if any. It focuses more on outsmarting, not combatting the enemy directly. And realistic stats. I can't say no stats, but I would say not the crazy amount of HP that comes with most JRPGs.

Nore the melodrama. Princesses rescue themelves, once your dead you're dead. If a Katana or Guillotine goes through your neck, you're probably not coming back from a K.O. But other characters will remember you.

The exception is reincarnation, which is an established fact in my universe. My escape hatch from keeping it be to dark.

The focus is more on the overall life of the gamer, including the game itself.

More controversially maybe, you die in the game you die in real life.

Using this, it could be reasonably argued I only ever wrote a LitRPG once, but pretty much always wrote a kind of GameLit.

 

1) A LITRPG SHALL involve some type of expliticitly stated progression (ie leveling, report of item finds, quests, etc) 2) A LITRPG SHALL involve a game-type world of some kind that the main character has been involved in

 

Great thread, read through a few pages, will post my toughs.

LitRPG:

1. Has to contain leveling, levels, items, skills/abilities, general progression of wealth/character/equipment/buildings.., pretty much measuring everything in every possible way(within reason)
   1. We'll you really can balance things out, not in every fight you have to write about every hit and the dmg taken/given etc.. However This is a litRPG genre and here you have to have some numbers/ measurement of progression at least. I'd suggest having it more in the initial start of the story and less later on, more of a summary in later story/books.
   2. Progression has to be managed very, extremely well alongside say 50 books. If your MC reached lvl 5892 by the end of the book 1 congrats you have failed. Because WTF we will have in book 3? MC with lvl 1 trillion?! You want the progression to be lineral+- f.e. book 1 MC reaches lvl 10 max , book 5 -> MC lvl 25 max, book -> 9 MC has lvl 20(MC died a lot or lvl 45 ish).. And here you also have to always be in a balance not a super OP MC but not too weak also..
   3. And this is the real beauty of LitRPG we can use an item that we have found in book 2 in book 6 of the series, because we have a bag of holding and can draw stuff from it when we can. But the main idea is to track all the items, spells, quantities, stuff, food, potions, durability of an item, total weight...
   4. A great LitRPG will have f.e. levels for a building, with special bonuses, and even more bonuses if a professional is working there.. a very basic book will not.
   5. The more "numbers" and levels with items & loot you have the better is the book, still those numbers have to have a reason and be used well. Random shit is terrible.
   6. One of the worst books which I read like withing first 1 minute had an MC who was 80 years old(WTF?) who want s to read a book about a retired old dude.. Yet in the beginning of the book Somebody dropped to the MC all the best items( billions of $, legendary amours&swords , spells, equipment, building material.. wtf.. we have to struggle through 50 books to get it all and now some silly dudes just gives it all away. It's like reading a book about how to become rich, and its stars with MC who wins a lottery. He is rich. The end.
2. Has to have a game world, that is not this current world, our world
   1. Its not per say necessary to have a separate world if YOU are a DEMIGOD of writing(or manage these two worlds and world switching extremely greatly), like f.e. Cosimo Yapp in The first book called The Game(On of the best writers in the world). https://www.amazon.com/Game-Life-Bo...The+Game+cosimo&qid=1598903709&s=books&sr=1-1 . However say you are not a DEMIGOD of writing LitRPG and decide to have two worlds real and game, you severely risking that your book will be shit(For hardcore LitRPG fans at least). Because nobody wants to read about constant jumping between the two worlds one is great game world and the other one, our world is shit, boring basic, same every day crap. Some writers are capable of making this work and in an interesting & intriguing way, where you have a constant struggle, enemies in both worlds, like a really fast struggle vs death. But most likely you are not that great to be able to pull that of. Yet this never stopped terrible writers.. Fun fact in these two world LitRPG failures, I simply skip all the shit happening in the "real world".. unless its really well written. I would not advise it.. have a little of the real world as possible. and transition has to be FAST. Not 200 page preparation to go to the LitRPG world, but like a few pages MAX! better a few paragraphs. Best none at all!?
   2. The main benefits of having only this game world indicates that we are now official in the game. We got into Hogwarts! We are in a D&D World! Now we can play the game finally! So you are in an awesome world, now if you want in your book to jump from awesome world to shit our real world.. sure, but then at least add some enemies in both worlds, struggle, financial incentives to catch the attention of the reader.. but this is hacky.. the less of the real world we have the better.
   3. Not a huge fan of getting/reading about all the rules of this new world in the beginning of the story, too boring and too easy.. You should introduce world mechanics bit by bit.. depending on how lucky and smart is your MC.

It's more of what I love and hate in an LitRPG.