## [Q] Rational "Life is a Game" fics? (aka "the video game plot) * Author: u/eaglejarl * * URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/7b1sx2/q_rational_life_is_a_game_fics_aka_the_video_game/ * Score: 20 * Created: 2017-11-06T01:09:37 ### Post: I really enjoy the video game plot (e.g. "The Gamer", "The Games We Play", "Naruto:Ramen Days") and have read enough of them that I've having trouble finding new ones. Does anyone have any suggestions that they particularly like? ### Comments: > **u/PanickedApricott** [+26] (20 minutes later) > > besides "worth the candle"? >> **u/cthulhuraejepsen** [+18] *Fruit flies like a banana* (52 minutes later) >> >> [link](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11478249?view_full_work=true) >>> **u/eaglejarl** [+11] (10 hours later) >>> >>> This is actually what got me to ask. I just blitzed the entire story in...24?...48?...very few hours. Really enjoyed it, and was sorry when it ran out. >>> >>> Out of curiosity, do you have a reader-viewable timeline anywhere? I'm not clear on how long Juniper has been in-world, but I think it's only 2-3 weeks, even counting the downtime week they just had. >>>> **u/Izeinwinter** [+8] (12 hours later) >>>> >>>> The erogamer, which is really funny, and takes the implications of the premise shockingly seriously. >>>> >>>> Most of the other example of this particular sub genre I have run across have really unlikable pro-tags, as they start behaving like powergamers while surrounded by people, rather than sprites. So, really, worth the candle and erogamer are it for things I will actually recommend >>>>> **u/eaglejarl** [+3] (13 hours later) >>>>> >>>>> Link, please? My Google fu is apparently weak, which is surprising in this case. >>>>>> **u/Izeinwinter** [+4] (13 hours later) >>>>>> >>>>>> https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/the-erogamer-original.5465/ >>>>>> Its a quest, but if you just want the story without the discussion around the voting, just hit the forward arrow on the index. >>>>>>> **u/PM_ME_OS_DESIGN** [+6] (22 hours later) >>>>>>> >>>>>>> > erogamer link >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Note: Requires a signup. >>>>>>> **u/eaglejarl** [+1] (15 hours later) >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Cool, thanks. >>>> **u/nytelios** [+1] (2 days later) >>>> >>>> Regarding the timeline, I believe it was mentioned somewhere in the text that it's been about a month. >>>> **u/Ardvarkeating101** [+1] *Father of Learning* (5 days later) >>>> >>>> Hey, you're that guy who made the Stargate fix-it fic! Such a shame when that ended. >> **u/mg115ca** [+2] (20 hours later) >> >> Ooooh, I'd seen this posted but it was way down in my list since I didn't realize is was a Life is a Game fic. Bumped to the top. Thanks! > **u/EliezerYudkowsky** [+16] *Godric Gryffindor* (an hour later) > > You listed some top ones already. Off the top of my head I can only think to add: > > - I'm a Spider, So What (one of the legendary classics, start with the Blastron01 translation until it runs out, it bogs down after a while so don't feel obliged to keep reading) > - Evil God Average / Jashin Average, got me on the LN kick that led to GirlIntercorrupted > - /u/FeepingCreature would tell you to read The Erogamer, and I wouldn't dispute it. Tagline: "This is way more depth than I was expecting with my porn quest." > > EDIT: Like The Gamer and TGWP, these are LitRPG rather than Video Game Plot. >> **u/eaglejarl** [+1] (11 hours later) >> >> I've started I'm A Spider and am enjoying is so far. The beginning reminds me of "The Snek Report", which I really enjoyed. (Well, it went a little off the rails right at the end and then died, but 95% of it was great.). Thanks for the rec. >>> **u/SeekingImmortality** [+5] *The Eldest, Apparently* (15 hours later) >>> >>> "and then died" ? The Snek Report is still ongoing, if slowly... >>> >>> Edit: To clarify, "The Snake Report: Act 2 Chapter 16" came out just 5 days ago... >>> >>> https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSnakeReport/ >>>> **u/eaglejarl** [+1] (15 hours later) >>>> >>>> > "and then died" ? The Snek Report is still ongoing, if slowly... >>>> >>>> Oh? The last I saw it had abandoned the actual snek and was going on about some bureaucrat. Has it made significant progress since then? >>>>> **u/SeekingImmortality** [+1] *The Eldest, Apparently* (15 hours later) >>>>> >>>>> > progress since then? >>>>> >>>>> Uhm, you stopped reading at Act 1 - Epilogue, so, 16 more chapters? >>>>>> **u/eaglejarl** [+1] (16 hours later) >>>>>> >>>>>> Oh, cool. Thanks for letting me know. >>>>>>> **u/SeekingImmortality** [+2] *The Eldest, Apparently* (17 hours later) >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Two notes: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Royalroadl is only updated through Act 1. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Act 2 is a bit of a departure, though it's started getting back to the old feel. WercWercWerc is talking about rewriting it, in a different tone, before posting it to Royalroadl. You could feel free to wait till then to get caught up on it, or you can read it as it's posted, in /r/TheSnakeReport. >>>>>>>> **u/sneakpeekbot** [+1] (17 hours later) >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Here's a sneak peek of /r/TheSnakeReport using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/TheSnakeReport/top/?sort=top&t=all) of all time! >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> \#1: [Act II - Chapter 1:](https://np.reddit.com/r/TheSnakeReport/comments/6e12r8/act_ii_chapter_1/) >>>>>>>> \#2: [Chapter 23:](https://np.reddit.com/r/TheSnakeReport/comments/5yfgrt/chapter_23/) >>>>>>>> \#3: [Chapter 25:](https://np.reddit.com/r/TheSnakeReport/comments/5z22eq/chapter_25/) >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> ---- >>>>>>>> ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| [^^Contact ^^me](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| [^^Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| [^^Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/6l7i0m/blacklist/) >> **u/None** [+1] (4 days later) >> >> Man "I'm a Spider, So What" was great until I started trying to read ahead and used one of the machine/direct translation sites. >> >> Totally killed it for me. > **u/Shovah32** [+8] (28 minutes later) > > No particular suggestion, but you might have more luck looking for "litrpg" - a lot of similar stories published under that genre. > There'll be plenty of bad ones as usual but I'm sure you can find some. >> **u/eaglejarl** [+2] (10 hours later) >> >> Ah, neat. I hadn't seen that term before. Thanks! >>> **u/nytelios** [+1] (2 days later) >>> >>> It even has its own subreddit. The genre has grown explosively in the past year or two. There's [a huge list on Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/87838.LitRPG_the_books_set_in_virtual_reality_online_MMORPG_games) I combed through. They're usually not that great writing-wise, but if you enjoy the game aspect, there's *a lot* to binge. >>> **u/bassicallyboss** [+1] (5 days later) >>> >>> Perhaps not exactly what you're asking for in this thread (I haven't read any of the stories you've listed), but *Sufficiently Advanced Magic (Arcane Ascension Book 1)* is a litrpg book that has been posted here before. It felt like *Azure Dreams* for the Playstation, only with a cool crafting system and a well-developed world. I read it and found it pretty fairly rational and very enjoyable, in a junk-food/guilty-pleasure way. >>> >>> [Amazon link](https://www.amazon.com/Sufficiently-Advanced-Magic-Arcane-Ascension-ebook/dp/B06XBFD7CB/ref=pd_ybh_a_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=D71FMT5XGDE7HC62RGMH) > **u/LimeDog** [+8] (an hour later) > > If you don't mind NSFW, I was recently pointed to [Dream Drive](https://www.literotica.com/s/dream-drive-ch-01) and found it quite enjoyable. Standard SAO and The Gamer plot but very well-written characters, and of course more logical bent. >> **u/eaglejarl** [+3] (11 hours later) >> >> Looks well written, yeah, and the primary character is one that I suspect a lot of us could identify with. It dove into the sex a little too fast for me, but I suspect that the author is talented enough to produce good story. Thanks for the rec. >>> **u/nytelios** [+1] (2 days later) >>> >>> The author of Dream Drive (Andrew S Ball) is published. I found his first book quite good as a guilty pleasure fantasy: [Contractor](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22999740-contractor). >> **u/Dent7777** [+1] *House Atreides* (15 hours later) >> >> Hey do you know if it is hosted anywhere else? Or if someone has made an epub? >>> **u/LimeDog** [+1] (18 hours later) >>> >>> You can email the author I believe for a pdf. There is a contact tab in his [bio](https://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=2065995&page=bio). Dream Drive was his experiment with a more open style of writing than his published works. >>> **u/nytelios** [+1] (2 days later) >>> >>> It's available on reddit. Check [this page](https://www.reddit.com/r/noveltranslations/comments/3nomvp/ennsfw_dream_drive_volume_1_chapters_110/), there's a PDF linked. > **u/OutOfNiceUsernames** [+6] *fear of last pages* (3 hours later) > > I also second Log Horizon. One of the few anime titles the plot of which doesn’t turn into a complete mess by the time it reaches the last several episodes. > > There are also some asian webnovels that you ought to check out: > > * [*Reincarnator*](http://www.novelupdates.com/series/reincarnator/) — “has some repeating tropes, but otherwise is well-written. Protag goes back in time to try saving humanity after a meta-verse merging event.” Unfortunately due to some translator scene drama it’s temporarily unavailable. > * [*King of the Battlefield*](http://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-king-of-the-battlefield/) — Except for the fact that it’s a bit too similar to Reincarnator, it’s a pretty decent read. > * [*Terror Infinity*](http://www.wuxiaworld.com/ti-index/) — ”[...] is a Chinese web serial that is technically a multi-crossover fanfic. The premise of the story is how a random group of people are forced to travel from one horror \ action movie into another and try to survive each one. Among the universes the protag has to travel through are also those from the following franchises (spoilers): Resident Evil, Alien, Final Destination, Nightmare on Elm Street.” > * [*Life Mission*](http://www.novelupdates.com/series/life-mission/) — A virtual reality game called “Life” suddenly becomes real, transporting players to alternate dimensions (they don’t know that at first), making it possible to buy items from game store and bring them into real world, enhance their body, etc. The monsters in the game are “mutants”, and the lore suggests that some virus outbreak turned all people into such mutants. Those who manage to not get infected got killed instead. > * [*Evolution Theory of the Hunter*](http://www.novelupdates.com/series/evolution-theory-of-the-hunter/) — Dungeons and skillbooks existing in real world; each person can only learn one skillbook. > > All of these (except for maybe Log Horizon) have some penalties attached, for them to be called completely rational stories. But from all the currently available LitRPG stories that I’ve managed to find, these were the only ones that were more or less rational at all. >> **u/eaglejarl** [+3] (10 hours later) >> >> Thank you, that's a lot of recs. >> >> I have had very mixed results with anime, but in this case I'm really looking more for reading than watching. Still, workout distractions are a necessity, so I'll definitely check out Log Horizon. >> >> Reanimator's description sounds really good, so I hope it comes back. I read the first page of KotB and couldn't get past the clumsy translation, but I'm sure it's great in the original. >> >> Evolution Theory of the Hunter has a premise that made me laugh happily. Very Nodwick, which is a good thing. The prologue was well done so I'm definitely going to keep going. Thanks very much. >>> **u/argentumArbiter** [+2] (5 days later) >>> >>> Log horizon is also a light novel, so you could read one of the translations out there. >> **u/I_Hump_Rainbowz** [+2] (13 days later) >> >> Have you read Book Eating Magician? It is pretty well written and translated. Its protag is intelligent and it is about as rational as Log Horizon. >> **u/OutOfNiceUsernames** [-1] *fear of last pages* (3 hours later) >> >> Forgot to mention *tGWP*. Oh well. > **u/None** [+3] (16 hours later) > > [removed] >> **u/Sailor_Vulcan** [+3] *Champion of Justice and Reason* (4 days later) >> >> Pokemon the Origin of Species is NOT a video game plot btw > **u/Cariyaga** [+3] *Kyubey did nothing wrong* (a day later) > > I'm not sure anyone's mentioned it, but uh... [Homestuck](http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=001901) is one, though... it's *exceedingly* long, be warned. Hilarious writing and crazy-good music, though. >> **u/None** [+2] (a day later) >> >> [removed] >>> **u/Cariyaga** [+2] *Kyubey did nothing wrong* (a day later) >>> >>> Ah! I'm not used to them being referred to by MSPA, my mistake! >> **u/eaglejarl** [+1] (a day later) >> >> Yeah, that does seem to be one of the legendary pieces of internet writing. >>> **u/ATRDCI** [+1] (5 days later) >>> >>> I recommend its predecessor Homestuck >>> >>> Edit: I mean Problem Sleuth >> **u/ATRDCI** [+1] (5 days later) >> >> Maybe I'll try again someday, but I couldn't really get into it. I highly recommend its predecessor Problem Sleuth though > **u/Tetrikitty** [+3] (a day later) > > [The Erogamer](https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/the-erogamer-original.5465/) (requires a QQ account). > **u/GaBeRockKing** [+2] *Horizon Breach: http://archiveofourown.org/works/6785857* (2 hours later) > > Check out [Log Horizon](https://myanimelist.net/anime/17265/Log_Horizon) The LN translation is significantly behind the anime, but if you're an anime watcher you'll probably love it. >> **u/eaglejarl** [+1] (10 hours later) >> >> > I have had very mixed results with anime, but in this case I'm really looking more for reading than watching. Still, workout distractions are a necessity, so I'll definitely check out Log Horizon. >> >> (Quoting from above so you get the ping) >> >> I have had very mixed results with anime, but in this case I'm really looking more for reading than watching. Still, workout distractions are a necessity, so I'll definitely check out Log Horizon. Thanks for the suggestion. > **u/hankyusa** [+2] *Sunshine Regiment* (11 hours later) > > What's a video game plot? >> **u/eaglejarl** [+3] (13 hours later) >> >> Someone has their life turn into a video game. They have a character sheet with numeric stats, can mechanically advance their skills through combat, etc. > **u/None** [+2] (a day later) > > [deleted] >> **u/eaglejarl** [+1] (a day later) >> >> Thanks for the warning. > **u/neondragonfire** [+1] (6 days later) > > [SAO Abridged](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6kJKxvbgZ0&list=PLuAOJfsMefuej06Q3n4QrSSC7qYjQ-FlU) > > And you may want to look into fanfiction, you'll find stories with the gamer plot. With varying quality as usual. I'll mention two here: > > [Red Mage Looking for Group](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11836594/1/Red-Mage-Looking-For-Group) > > [The Adventures Of Harry Potter, the Video Game: Exploited](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9708318/1/The-Adventures-Of-Harry-Potter-the-Video-Game-Exploited) ---