What Is LitRPG for Writers (and How Do I Get Started Writing It)?

Okay, picture this. You’re sitting down at your desk, and a portal appears in the wall of your office. A mysterious wizard steps from the gate and announces, “Hey! You! If you want to save the realm, you need to complete this quest. You need to write a novel. And it needs to be a LitRPG!” He hands you a pen and a notebook, and he disappears back into the portal with a puff of smoke.

(What Is Romantasy, Anyway?)

You, of course, want to save the realm. One must never ignore quests bestowed by mysterious portal wizards. You’ve heard of LitRPG before, but you’re not really sure exactly what it is. Doesn’t it have something to do with video games? All you really know is that the term suddenly seems everywhere, and more importantly, LitRPG books seem to be really hot right now. And now that you have a quest to write one, you better get started. Here are five tips on how to save the day.

Okay, okay, this sounds pretty obvious, right? Like it should be something the wizard tells you before we even get to the five tips part. But here’s the thing. Knowing exactly what you’re getting yourself into is absolutely crucial for success in this style of writing. Are these games? Are they like those Choose Your Own Adventure books? And why the heck are we calling it a “style of writing” and not a genre?

LitRPG stands for Literary Role-Playing Game, so it’s not surprising that people who are new to the term think these books are games. Or Choose Your Own Adventure Style books. They are not. They are just regular novels, usually with no reader interaction. And while many people call it a genre, they’re not, technically, a genre, either.

What makes a book a LitRPG is how it is written. Game-like elements, such as player stats, are an essential part of the story. The characters in the book are usually aware of these elements.

For example, the main character in your novel may be a fierce warrior named Dirk. Dirk starts the book as a level-1 warrior. He’s aware that he’s a level-1 warrior. In fact, he has a stat sheet that he can see. He needs to fight and kill the level-50 evil swamp monster to save his village, but he also knows said monster is much too strong for him. So he goes on an adventure, fighting weaker monsters, collecting epic loot, until he can level-up enough and grow in strength to face his final foe.

Sounds like a video game, right? Or a session of your favorite table top role-playing game? That’s exactly what these books are. They’re adventures with the added element of levels, stat sheets, and other gaming components, giving the reader the sense they’re following along a game that is being played.

The vast majority of these stories are fantasy based, but it’s a style of storytelling that can be, and has been, applied to several different genres such as sci-fi, horror, western, and even romance. The setting for LitRPG can vary wildly as well. Some use the “trapped in a video game” trope. Some are portal fantasies, where a person from our world travels to a magical world where stat sheets and video game rules have always governed the world’s physics. Some are what’s called a System Apocalypse where Earth itself is suddenly changed so the game-like elements apply to everyone. And there’s even more beyond that.

Yes. Another obvious tip, but an important one.

While this style of story has been around since at least the 1970s, the term LitRPG was first coined circa 2013 or so, and it was soon thereafter that this style of book started rising steadily in popularity. Now there are literally tens of thousands of examples waiting to be discovered.

If you want to write in this genre, you should immerse yourself in it so you can get a taste of what these books are really like. Do you like your books crunchy (with a lot of stats?) or do you prefer a lighter touch? Wait, you can write a book from the point of view of a dungeon? That’s a thing? It’s important to know what’s out there and see what trails have already been blazed before you venture out on your own.

Check out Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl here:

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Do you know what the gaming term “mob” means? Or Boss, or Noob, or PVP?

If you don’t, then you have a long—but fun—journey ahead of you. Dust off the ol’ Nintendo and spend some time playing games, especially RPGs.

This genre was born out of gaming culture, both video game and table top, and the very nature of these stories lend themselves to being awash with multiple gaming references. And while skilled writers often ease the readers into the knowledge, making the books accessible to non-gamers, actual writers of these books should really be well-versed in the culture and terms of gaming if they want the core audience to notice them. The readers are voracious, but they’re wary of books that don’t feel authentic. The dark recesses of Amazon are a graveyard of non-gamer, write-to-market LitRPG books that failed right out the gate because the authors jumped straight to step five.

LitRPG is still a relatively young term, but, luckily, fans and writers have built several online communities where they hang out and discuss their favorite books, tropes, and games.

You know those books you read back in step two? Flip to the very end. Some of these books will have links to the more popular communities. Facebook, Reddit, Discord, and other social media outlets all have robust gathering spots of both readers and writers of LitRPG. Of special note is the LitRPG Author’s Guild group on Facebook for authors and R/LitRPG on Reddit for fans.

Even if you’re an extreme introvert, lurking can be quite beneficial. For example, did you know LitRPG audiobooks are especially popular? Do you know what style of book covers particularly resonate with readers? Wait, web serials can be profitable? Where are people posting them? These are the sort of details a writer will quickly learn while mingling with other readers and writers. You’ll learn what’s trending, and you’ll see what tropes people are talking about. But most importantly, you may gain a few friends along the way.

If the first few steps didn’t scare you off, then it’s time. Writing a book is a daunting task, but lucky for you, you’re in the right place. From learning about World Building to Plotting to Voice to Writing Motivation, the Writer’s Digest website is a treasure trove of knowledge on how to get started. You’ll save the realm in no time.