Thank you! It was really fun to do the research! Ill be coming out with a video with some lesser known books that are really excellent! So keep your eyes out! I also love the history of genres
As Central Nexus pointed out in another post, LitRPG has gotten significantly broader than the VRRPG-based stories you mentioned in this video. Since I had just seen a video of yours where you reviewed _Ninetoes,_ you already know this, but I wanted to make sure any other viewers realize it as well. In Japan, there is a related genre called "isekai" (other world, usually implying "trapped in another world"). Many of these stories, whether, light novel, manga, or anime would easily be classified as LitRPG in the West. One of my favorite such stories is _Log Horizon,_ where for some reason everyone in-game playing a certain online MMORPG get trapped with apparently no way out. The world has become more real, NPCs have become self-aware, etc. The former players have access to their old game interface, giving the story the RPG feel. I watched the anime and really liked it. There are other such story as well, one of the best known being _Sword Art Online,_ but the RPG mechanic there is essentially transparent window-dressing.
I think the genera has a really interesting dynamic. A cool way to provide a new lens to view progression/the world. That said I’m just not finding many books in the field worth reading. I’ll check out some of these you’ve mentioned.
This is a tad dated these days --- There are lots of more types and subgenres. NOT all of them take place in a literal VR MMO though they may be based on them. MANY take place in fantasy worlds that are interpreted for the main character with MMO type terminology. Still others have come in under the LITRPG Apocolypse sub-genre. In this earth is transformed by a System that rewrites reality -- everyone on Earth must chose character types and start leveling up to survive as earthly animals are mutated, mythical creatures re-manifest, or bizarre alien life and races come to earth. I do find some concepts hard stomach. I've seen several books where vitural game worlds are used as a refuge from real life, even real world apocolypses. Political troubles in your homeland, grey-goo zombies threatening you? Get yourself digitized into the game. One series had its developer digitize himself and everyone enjoying day one of a new game INTO this new reality, killing their real-world bodies by the hundreds of thousands. I always find this problematic -- How much space does a human mind take to store? How much computer power is needed for it to process? Not to mention that ONE such instance would ruin the game industry. MMO developers spend millions makeing their games, but they aren't permanent. Eventually they will be old news, outdated and be shut down. But if digitized humans are in these games, would such game companies want to be such humans? Computers go down, need to be rebooted. How many MMOs have you played where the game is brought back with you at 5 minutes before it went down? HOW would such activities affect digitized humans? None of this seems get into these stories. The legal repercutions would be mind-boggling. I could see a game company lobbying for digitized humans not to be termed alive or sentient so they'd not be liable for any problems. And as a refuge from a real world apocolypse? Any computer running such a game wouldn't last indefinitely running on its own, with no maintenance or supervison.
Do you have any recommendations for litrpg that don't take place in a vrmmo? I was introduced into the litrpg genre via "He who fights monsters", which doesn't take place in a vrmmo. When finishing the series, I struggled to find another litrpg like it that wasn't in an vr world. I did eventually find "Infinite realm" Which I enjoyed.
@@blackerysmalls Any of a number of Apocolypse LITRPGS would fit the bill The System Apocolypse by Tao Wong (12 books in series, starts in Alaska/Canada) The System Apocolypse: Austrailia by Tao Wong & (2 books so far) The RPG Apocolypse by Maks Daniels Mind Games - by Mark Whipple Red Mage series by Xander Boyce (very brutal with weird interstellar war in the background using people from different Earth dimensional shards) Apocolypse Online series by Robyn Wideman (Starts off when MMO players recognize Real world events all to similiar to a brutal game they were testing when it was a warning of things to come) Every series is different; some focus on survival, others on character building, some just as much on settlement building. All have character sheets, classes, and other familiar items.
@@blackerysmalls Going back through my Audible library I found a few more to check out: Primal Hunter series by Zogarth -- Kind of an Apocolypse storyline -- Magic comes back to Earth, but in the initial stages everyone gets sent to testing zones. Character stats and the like, some wild characters. The story mainly follows one character who is forced to learn to survive. 3 books are out and the fourth is about to be released. I found a lot of this series to be unpredictable, with some new bends on the genre. I expected it to go differently, but am pleasently surprised. Reborn: Apocolypse. by L. M. Kerr. This is an apocolypse where mankind is sent to extradimensional zones, each more deadly than the last, forcing you to get more powerful to survive. On the 7th layer, they must win against the other races who have also battled to reach there. But mankind is losing the battle with no retreat. The main character thanks to an artifact is sent back in time 10 years to before he first was sent to the 1st layer. Now he briefs his best friend before it happens on what to do, and he goes back through "character creation", making better choices than before. Now he choses to help mankind to survvive by conquering historical threats and adverrsaries before they can get too powerful. But the more he does the less his fore-knowledge helps him. 3 books (only covering the first two layers) in the series so far. Weird part is he SEEMS almost too powerful, but most of his foes are FAR FAR worse...
cant beleive i have never heard of this genre, thank you for the clear explanation
Congratulations on 50+ subscribers Kupel.
Thank you Tim!
Oh yay! I'm so excited! I'll send you an email right now!
Yay!!! So excited for you C.E. !!
I loved hearing the history of this genre - probably because I'm a history buff 😅I'll have to check out some of these books next year!
Thank you! It was really fun to do the research! Ill be coming out with a video with some lesser known books that are really excellent! So keep your eyes out! I also love the history of genres
As Central Nexus pointed out in another post, LitRPG has gotten significantly broader than the VRRPG-based stories you mentioned in this video. Since I had just seen a video of yours where you reviewed _Ninetoes,_ you already know this, but I wanted to make sure any other viewers realize it as well.
In Japan, there is a related genre called "isekai" (other world, usually implying "trapped in another world"). Many of these stories, whether, light novel, manga, or anime would easily be classified as LitRPG in the West. One of my favorite such stories is _Log Horizon,_ where for some reason everyone in-game playing a certain online MMORPG get trapped with apparently no way out. The world has become more real, NPCs have become self-aware, etc. The former players have access to their old game interface, giving the story the RPG feel. I watched the anime and really liked it. There are other such story as well, one of the best known being _Sword Art Online,_ but the RPG mechanic there is essentially transparent window-dressing.
"Guardians of the flame" was the original LIT RPG series published in 1978.
I remember that series and tend to agree...
Have you heard of Overlord by Kugane Maruyama? It so doesn't follow all the three rules.
I think the genera has a really interesting dynamic. A cool way to provide a new lens to view progression/the world.
That said I’m just not finding many books in the field worth reading.
I’ll check out some of these you’ve mentioned.
This is a tad dated these days --- There are lots of more types and subgenres. NOT all of them take place in a literal VR MMO though they may be based on them. MANY take place in fantasy worlds that are interpreted for the main character with MMO type terminology. Still others have come in under the LITRPG Apocolypse sub-genre. In this earth is transformed by a System that rewrites reality -- everyone on Earth must chose character types and start leveling up to survive as earthly animals are mutated, mythical creatures re-manifest, or bizarre alien life and races come to earth.
I do find some concepts hard stomach. I've seen several books where vitural game worlds are used as a refuge from real life, even real world apocolypses. Political troubles in your homeland, grey-goo zombies threatening you? Get yourself digitized into the game. One series had its developer digitize himself and everyone enjoying day one of a new game INTO this new reality, killing their real-world bodies by the hundreds of thousands. I always find this problematic -- How much space does a human mind take to store? How much computer power is needed for it to process? Not to mention that ONE such instance would ruin the game industry. MMO developers spend millions makeing their games, but they aren't permanent. Eventually they will be old news, outdated and be shut down. But if digitized humans are in these games, would such game companies want to be such humans? Computers go down, need to be rebooted. How many MMOs have you played where the game is brought back with you at 5 minutes before it went down? HOW would such activities affect digitized humans? None of this seems get into these stories. The legal repercutions would be mind-boggling. I could see a game company lobbying for digitized humans not to be termed alive or sentient so they'd not be liable for any problems. And as a refuge from a real world apocolypse? Any computer running such a game wouldn't last indefinitely running on its own, with no maintenance or supervison.
Do you have any recommendations for litrpg that don't take place in a vrmmo? I was introduced into the litrpg genre via "He who fights monsters", which doesn't take place in a vrmmo. When finishing the series, I struggled to find another litrpg like it that wasn't in an vr world. I did eventually find "Infinite realm" Which I enjoyed.
@@blackerysmalls Any of a number of Apocolypse LITRPGS would fit the bill
The System Apocolypse by Tao Wong (12 books in series, starts in Alaska/Canada)
The System Apocolypse: Austrailia by Tao Wong & (2 books so far)
The RPG Apocolypse by Maks Daniels
Mind Games - by Mark Whipple
Red Mage series by Xander Boyce (very brutal with weird interstellar war in the background using people from different Earth dimensional shards)
Apocolypse Online series by Robyn Wideman (Starts off when MMO players recognize Real world events all to similiar to a brutal game they were testing when it was a warning of things to come)
Every series is different; some focus on survival, others on character building, some just as much on settlement building. All have character sheets, classes, and other familiar items.
@@CentralNexusPrime thank you so much for the suggestion!
@@blackerysmalls Going back through my Audible library I found a few more to check out:
Primal Hunter series by Zogarth -- Kind of an Apocolypse storyline -- Magic comes back to Earth, but in the initial stages everyone gets sent to testing zones. Character stats and the like, some wild characters. The story mainly follows one character who is forced to learn to survive. 3 books are out and the fourth is about to be released. I found a lot of this series to be unpredictable, with some new bends on the genre. I expected it to go differently, but am pleasently surprised.
Reborn: Apocolypse. by L. M. Kerr. This is an apocolypse where mankind is sent to extradimensional zones, each more deadly than the last, forcing you to get more powerful to survive. On the 7th layer, they must win against the other races who have also battled to reach there. But mankind is losing the battle with no retreat. The main character thanks to an artifact is sent back in time 10 years to before he first was sent to the 1st layer. Now he briefs his best friend before it happens on what to do, and he goes back through "character creation", making better choices than before. Now he choses to help mankind to survvive by conquering historical threats and adverrsaries before they can get too powerful. But the more he does the less his fore-knowledge helps him. 3 books (only covering the first two layers) in the series so far. Weird part is he SEEMS almost too powerful, but most of his foes are FAR FAR worse...