What's a good definition of LitRPG?

Also keep in mind the rule of the internet the vast majority of people enjoying something never say anything. Looking at fellowship of the ring one of the best selling books ever has only 20k reviews on amazon if even 1% of the people who read the book got it on amazon (which seems unlikely) thats still 75 times more people who read it then reviewed it.

 

I dont think tower or FPS have nearly enough books to be considered genres, but i do like the other ones. Except I think LitRPG should be called game mech and RPG fiction should be called LitRPG it might just be me but seeing as Litrpg is the most popular genre term and it contains alternate perspective and game mech it make more sense to make it the parent genre.

 

I would normally agree, but the definition of what constitutes a LitRPG novel is so convoluted, that I think it would be more detrimental to make it the parent than a sub genre. People would have to globally accept that LitRPG simply means a story set in a game like world, no other distinctions associated with it. Do you see people agreeing to that? Haha, I don't.

Edit: Oh and I was tossing FPS-RPG as an example. There are actually a lot of tower climbers.

 

Honestly I agree with you my point isn't that they wouldn't be arguments its that as these new genres grow and evolve LitRPG will always be considered the first. Most newcomers wont be diehard MMO or stats fans and will just want and remember the gamey feel and since the newcomers are almost always in the majority this will become the generally accepted term and its meaning will eventually morph. So I think its better to start now and get rid of some of the confusion around the term than let it stay something that diehard fans and newcomers disagree on.

 

When was the term LitRPG first used? And what was that story about? When did the term deviate to include other types of stories?

I feel that the term came about for a particular style of books, and since then the definition has stretched to include other similar books.

I guess my question is, is that what we want? For the genre to keep expanding to eventually include any story that takes place within a game/game-like world?

Or do we want to keep what LitRPG is as very specific? If that's the case, what do we call stories that take place within a game / game-like world, that aren't LitRPG?

I'll use my current WIP as an example. The story takes place within a post-apocalypse, zombie survival video-game contest. Let's say there is no stats, levels, skills, or progression. LitRPG?

 

That is the crux. If you call it LitRPG you risk pissing people off and getting bad reviews, you don't call it LitRPG , then how do you define it? It goes back to my same argument, LitRPG is a sub genre of a nonexistent genre. Call it RPG Fiction, I'm trying to build the brand RPG-Fi, look I even have a logo:

 

I Like it now we just have to convince everyone else to

PS. what is steampunk LitRPG?

 

Why would you remove pain? It's a load of books.

 

First used by a games designer to define how RPGs can be literature and tell stories. Can't remember the link, but it was back in 2009 or similar and nothing to do with MMO.

 

I recall from a LitRPG podcast interview that it was Vasily Mahanenko and his fellow writers who coined the term (or at least claim to).

 

Here's an updated version over at Robert Bevan's blog: How Role Playing Games Can Enhance Your Writing Career

 

Fantasy and Sci Fi are too hard lined. A lot of books verge across both. Look at Chatfield for example. In my opnion you would want to break away from Fantasy or Science Fiction, they are their own genre. You can already tag a book with those genres. So that creates a lot of redundancy. If a book is Fantasy based, you can still tag your book as such. Defining a distinct genre you have to pinpoint what makes it unique. Gameworld setting - Check. Now what are the defining characteristics of sub genres? Game Menus, SKill Ups, etc. Check. POV type books, Check, Game types Check

 

I replaced full pain with the pain of a sharp pinch and/or the feeling of a bruise. Enough to provide a beneficial user experience. I feel that full pain isn't realistic for a video game. It would deter people from playing.

This doesn't mean LitRPG books can't have pain / full pain. I have one series that will have full pain because it fits the premise. The story takes place within a game world, though is not played as a game. It's life. Thus, pain makes sense.

However, like I said, these books I'm writing don't make me want to go play an MMORPG, video game, or paper game. They are story based entertainment. I understand that this may not be the ideal definition of the genre. It's just a feeling of the genre I've recognized as a reader and wanted to put out there.

 

What I'm most interested in, is what the readers are looking for when they see the label LitRPG.

Maybe what we can do is produce a massive LitRPG poll. Utilize the forum groups, Twitter, newsletters, vlogs, etc. to drive as many readers to the poll as possible.

A poll gives us real data. It gives us a look into what people want and what people don't want. We can identify what they deem as LitRPG and what they deem as not LitRPG.

I /want/ to call my books LitRPG. Though if I use the term LitRPG and people don't agree, whether or not they like the book, I'll receive negative reviews.

If this is something we may be interested in, I feel we should put a lot of thought into how we ask the questions. Set up an alliance between all the LitRPG communities to make the data available to everyone. It's a joint effort.

Thoughts?