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LitRPG

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LitRPG, short for literary role-playing game, is a literary genre combining the conventions of computer RPGs with science-fiction and fantasy novels. The term was introduced in 2013.[citation needed] In LitRPG, game-like elements form an essential part of the story, and visible RPG statistics (for example strength, intelligence, damage) are a significant part of the reading experience.[1][2] This distinguishes the genre from novels that tie in with a game, like those set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons; books that are actual games, such as the choose-your-own-adventure Fighting Fantasy type of publication; or games that are literarily described, like MUDs and interactive fiction. Typically, the main character in a LitRPG novel is consciously interacting with the game or game-like world and attempting to progress within it.

History

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The literary trope of getting inside a computer game is not new.[3] Andre Norton's Quag Keep (1978) enters the world of the characters of a D&D game. Larry Niven and Steven Barnes's Dream Park (1981) has a setting of LARP-like games as a kind of reality TV in the future (2051). With the rise of MMORPGs in the 1990s came science fiction novels that utilised virtual game worlds for their plots.[citation needed] In Taiwan, the first of Yu Wo's nine ½ Prince novels appeared, published in October 2004 by Ming Significant Cultural.[4] In Japan, the genre started in 1993 with the comedy Magical Circle Guru Guru where the characters lived in a JRPG and the cliches and mechanics of the time were often a source of humor.[citation needed] Later Japanese examples include .hack//Sign in 2002 and Sword Art Online in 2009.[5] The Korean series Legendary Moonlight Sculptor has over 50 volumes.[citation needed]

These novels and others were precursors to a more stat-heavy form of novel. Using a looser definition, a Russian publishing initiative identified the genre and gave it a name. The first Russian novel in this style appeared in 2012 at the Russian self-publishing website samizdat.ru, the novel Господство клана Неспящих (Clan Dominance: The Sleepless Ones) by Dem Mikhailov set in the fictional sword and sorcery game world of Valdira, printed by Leningrad Publishers later that year under the title Господство кланов (The Rule of the Clans) in the series Современный фантастический боевик (Modern Fantastic Action Novel)[6] and translated into English as The Way of the Clan as a Kindle book in 2015.[citation needed]

In 2013, EKSMO, a major Russian publishing house, started its multiple-author project entitled LitRPG. According to Magic Dome Books, a major translator of Russian LitRPG, the term LitRPG was coined in late 2013 during a brainstorming session between writer Vasily Mahanenko, EKSMO's science fiction editor Dmitry Malkin, and fellow LitRPG series editor and author Alex Bobl [ru]. Since 2014, EKSMO has been running LitRPG competitions and publishing the winning stories.[7] Most LitRPG books were self-published, with some works in the genre having reached mainstream success, most notably Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl series, which was picked up by Ace Books and has a television series in production.[8][9][10]

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Many of the post-2014 writers in this field insist that depiction of a character's in-game progression must be part of the definition of LitRPG, leading to the emergence of the term GameLit to embrace stories set in a game universe but which do not necessarily embody leveling and skill raising.[11]

LitRPG has also been described both as a sub-genre of progression fantasy and as its cousin.[9][12] In progression fantasy stories, characters "level up" through the world's magic system as they undergo a hero's journey.[13] Unlike LitRPGs, their world need not have direct ties to games.[14]

Notable examples

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Серия книг LitRPG by EKSMO (in Russian).
  2. ↑ Hayot, Eric (1 January 2021). "Video Games & the Novel". Daedalus. 150 (1): 178–187. doi:10.1162/daed_a_01841. ISSN 0011-5266.
  3. ↑ Miller, Paul (28 May 2016). "What is LitRPG and why does it exist?". The Verge. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  4. ↑ Kuo, Grace (3 June 2012). "Taiwan novelist captures hearts of youngsters at home and abroad". Taiwan Today. Archived from the original on 25 November 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Konieczny, Piotr (2026). "SFE: VRMMORPG". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  6. ↑ Что такое ЛитРПГ: всё о жанре, Mir Fantastiki magazine (in Russian).
  7. ↑ "Романы серии LitRPG (Первый сезон)". Fan Book. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Nguyen, Vivian (11 October 2024). "LitRPG Goes Mainstream". Publishers Weekly.
  9. 1 2 Mulroy, Clare (17 May 2026). "LitRPG is hot. Why fans can't get enough of books like 'Dungeon Crawler Carl'". USA Today. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  10. ↑ Alter, Alexandra (12 December 2025). "Gonzo Fans Have Made 'Dungeon Crawler Carl' Into a Global Blockbuster". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Tuleyev, Murat (17 January 2019). "Писатели сегодня зарабатывают реальные деньги". KST News. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  12. ↑ Lukas, Alex (18 January 2021). "5 Shonen-Style Books To Read if You Wish Your Novels Were More Like Anime". CBR.
  13. ↑ Rogers, Chelsea (24 January 2025). "[Review of] The Captain". SFRA Review. Vol. 55, no. 1.
  14. ↑ Konieczny, Piotr (22 June 2026). "VRMMORPG". In Clute, John; Langford, David (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.).
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