An exhausted panel and audience met in the Hyatt Embassy CD Monday at 11:30AM to discuss a topic very close to my heart: the future of LitRPG! Moderated by Bill Fawcett and including panelists James A. Hunter, R.E. Carr, J.B. Garner, Allora Lee, and Haylock Jobson.
The panel began with a discussion of different genres Fawcett had seen arise over the decades such as military sci-fi and game books before transitioning into discussion of what each person thought LitRPG became a burgeoning genre.
Garner offered that “one part, is the rise of indie and self-publishing. Another part is the rise of video games, RPG’s and the idea of games in the general populace, and just the general progression in a book is concrete. Once you’re exposed to it, and it’s done well, you just can’t stop reading.”
Lee added that the general knowledge of the basics of games (stats such as what intelligence is, what charisma is, etc) helps the material be more appealing to wider audiences, also adding that YouTube and “Let’s Play” segments, where you can watch others play games, has risen as a popular form of entertainment.
Hunter chimed in with the fact that time is precious to those that are drawn to LitRPG. Rather than spend hundreds of hours playing an MMORPG (massive multiplayer online roleplaying game), they can get the same feeling in ten hours while washing dishes and listening to an audiobook. He also added that part of the appeal is psychological. Seeing everything stacked against the character, but also seeing how the systems make it fair. That is one of the primary appeals of LitRPG. In a world where we feel like we don’t have agency or power, in LitRPG, if you do the work, you get the power. It is cathartic for people that might feel powerless.
Fawcett then asked what the best way to present progressive success in a LitRPG.
Garner spoke up first, saying more ties to emotional and social aspects turned into systems, going into detail that world building and sim-building elements haven’t been touched on much in the genre. Social, emotional, and sometimes political aspects of things that everyone can grab onto.
Hunter responded that it is a difficult question. He doesn’t see LitRPG as a genre because it is something that could be added to any genre. It is mostly attributed to Fantasy currently, but moving forward and as it gets a more widespread appeal, it will spread across other genres such as fantasy/romantacy.
Carr spoke about romance and how large of a market there is for it, and also the potential for cracking the code between LitRPG and pure romance.
The next question Bill asked: Is romance a good market for LitRPG?
The panelists universally agreed that it is, especially with how modern culture is shifting. Haylock Jobson noted that Matt Dinniman has already brought in much of the audience with Princess Donut in Dungeon Crawler Carl. Other panelists discussed the importance of having a true, well-written romance story to hook them now that they have arrived.
Hunter brought up the early gender percentage in LitRPG, with a heavy percentage of male readers—90% or so—about three years ago, but with LitRPG’s growth in recent time that percentage is shifting.
They also discussed how times have changed with expectations when it comes to portal fantasy tropes. In the past—i.e. Wizard of Oz— the character wants to get home. Now the people who find themselves in new worlds don’t go back. They make a new life in their new world.
The topic of what kind of main character is most prevalent or popular in the genre. Hunter spoke about most protagonists being vanilla, allowing readers to self-insert themselves into the character. There are exceptions, such as Carl in Dungeon Crawler Carl and Jason in He Who Fights with Monsters.
Fawcett asked the panelists why video game companies haven’t capitalized on the potential of LitRPG stories told in their universe. The panel came to an agreement that the existence of such books, with progression, would undermine the game’s hooks. The games want players to get lost in the virtual world and not in a book.
The next topic of discussion was how stories are formed: system vs character. Which comes first? Hunter discussed how Dakota Krout is on one end of that spectrum with being system-first, whereas Dinniman is on the opposite end with character-first.
Hunter told the crowd to look at modern anime and Japanese manga for a hint at what will be popular in two years. What is popular in LitRPG now was being released two to four years ago in Japanese manga and anime.
The panel was refreshing. Perspectives from the panelists provided a variety of opinions and points of view. It was an excellent end-cap for Dragon Con and I would recommend it to anyone, should it return in 2027.
