Game Logic in Fantasy Writing
Hey, I want to world build, without thinking of anything myself. What do I do?
Presenting: Just Make it a Fucking Video Game!
With this one easy step, the world’s logic and consistency can just fall back on RPG tropes and staples. Add some menus to make it easy to keep track of what a character can do. Bosses? Give them some gacha rankings to make sure the reader understands how much of a badass the hero is by killing it.
Can I vomit yet?
Please?
Using game mechanics as shorthand does come with a level of comfort for people who want to read a power fantasy in a setting they can relate to, as well as making it easily accessible to more people who just want to pick up and read something.
But you deserve better. We all deserve better.
But most importantly, I deserve better. This is some bullshit, and I’m tired of getting suckered in by pretty drawings to be let down by what’s inside. Someone please save me from this hell!
Exhibit A: Dungeon Elf
I need to state that I have not read a lot of this story because I think it’s fair to disclose that. The story may get good, but it is ruined for me on the outset due to its reliance on pandering to the audience.
This story does talk about how treasure chests are placed in a dungeon, and who does that for adventurers, but that doesn’t mean the mangaka has to fall back on video game logic. There could be interesting world building all its own, as well as a reason dungeons and adventuring like that are even necessary.
This is the protagonist explaining the dangers of a certain level of the dungeons she’s in. Encounter rate and monsters being at high levels is just incredibly bad wording for writing. It’s lazy, uninspired, and made me roll my eyes.
Then there’s this shit. This is why I mentioned gacha rankings in my intro, because this manga just straight up did that. If anything killed interest, it was this. This, to me, indicates the mangaka is either pandering to brainrot, or is actively a victim of it.
There are far more interesting ways of depicting the strength of an enemy, and rankings are not engaging. It’s implied this dragon is a big deal after the fight, but not during it. Explain why. Give it history and meaning, not just some arbitrary scouter cop out.
This one isn’t even video game related, but does prove my point about pandering. Coffee is something so many of us enjoy, and explaining it like some exotic, addicting substance is just kind of sad. Yes, coffee is good, and I like it, but this just feels like the mangaka looking directly at the reader, like: “You get it? Don’t we all like coffee?”
This is all the first chapter, and it is a terrible introduction. I get nothing out of this, and it might as well go into the bargain bin of forgettable power fantasies.
To make things worse, chapter 2 just starts off with Tears of the Kingdom.
What? Don’t believe me?
You can’t tell me these aren’t the same thing to you. This title only seems to be able to pull from existing pop culture, and I am really beginning to hate it as a result. References can be good, but if it’s all you have, then you’re not a good writer, and I’ll go enjoy the things you’re referencing instead.
Exhibit B: Reborn as a Vending Machine
In a sea of isekai (transported to another world for those unaware) that lacks any creative thought, this one would seem like another drop in the ocean. I can forgive Sword Art Online for using video game tropes and concepts for its setting, because they are literally in a video game for a lot of the story. Here, the world is treated as if it’s a video game, but doesn’t actually call it that. The fantasy world our protagonist finds himself in simply acts like that dissonance doesn’t matter.
I can suspend disbelief for a story. I can engage with most things as they are presented to me. This just makes me want to read something more engaging.
Forgive that my picture isn’t perfectly clear, but I couldn’t find a clean rip of the text online without paying for it again, and I wasn’t going to do that, nor am I willing to write out everything I’m going to show you to prove a point.
Using a mouse and keyboard interface makes sense for a video game, but for a story that doesn’t say it takes place in one at the beginning, this is incredibly jarring and lazy writing. It feels like the author didn’t want to dedicate to either his own fantasy world or a game world, and just went ahead with something in the middle.
What’s even the point of this? Is it to signal to the desired audience that the protagonist is just like them? If so, this is just pathetic. Yes, many of us understand how to use a mouse and keyboard, but it isn’t the only way to think of how to interact with the systems he’s putting in place. It would have been more interesting if someone else had to mechanically work on his new vending machine body and manually update stock and prices. I would be fine if he still was able to say stock phrases to communicate what he desired, but if you’re making a character that can’t move on his own, dedicate the whole way and make it more engaging.
I did read past that set of paragraphs, but it only delves deeper into that way of interacting with the world. It only adds cute women to the story so the protagonist and the intended audience have something to ogle at. It’s not a story for me, and I’d be content to burn my copy if I ever needed kindling.
Solution A: Berserk
I won’t pretend that writing is an easy thing. Building a world all on your own is a process that takes a lot of thought and planning. However, those worlds that took the time to flesh out everything tend to be more loved and remembered for what they did.
Berserk is a perfect example of a dark fantasy manga. Kentaro Miura passed away in 2021, but his story has helped define the genre and his art will live on for as long as we continue to delve into his world. This is a fun contrast to the above sections, because Berserk has inspired many other works, including the video game series Dark Souls.
This is because of the effort and care taken to make the world breathe and feel distinct. Berserk has a way of showing us the most beautiful landscapes and creatures, so when it devolves into unknowable horror, that contrast can hit you like a truck.
Miura was a master at his craft, and his legacy will live on. No matter how much time passes, I will continue to use his series as the standard for art in manga, and how passion drives a compelling story.
The way we solve the problem of low effort garbage writing is to hold it to a higher standard. Don’t settle for less. It’s okay to use tropes and take inspiration from things, but if those are all you have, then you don’t have much of a story to tell.
Solution B: Delicious in Dungeon
I may have caused some panic for those who enjoy this series when I put it in my featured image, but rest assured that it’s a good example of how to engage with some game elements the right way.
The difference here is that Delicious in Dungeon takes more from Dungeons and Dragons than it does video games. Characters can die, but can be revived at a later time, much like revivify in D&D. Classes seem to exist, but in so much as a job the characters have, rather than a game system that grants them levels or stats. This is a surface level, more generic fantasy core the series has going for it. That makes it approachable in the same way video game systems are, but allows for less rigid expansion of those ideas.
Delicious in Dungeon manages to make its setting interesting by delving into the biology of its creatures, how to interact with flora and fauna, and adds in a nice survival element to it. The setting doesn’t lean too hard on its inspirations, but really feels like it’s molding them to fit what it needs. The story works on its own merits while still using tropes plenty.
Reading is a valuable thing to do for our brains, how we learn, and how we can enhance our own creativity in our own endeavors. Inspiration is something most books have in one way or another at this point, whether that’s just text, manga, or webcomics. I’m not here to tell you that you’re bad if you liked either of the examples I used to show bad use of inspiration, but rather to show you what good looks like to me.
Enjoyment is subjective, and everyone has their own opinions on media. I like many things people have considered trash, but I also like many things that most people seem to agree are good. My point in writing all of this was to scrutinize those who don’t really have a story they want to tell. It feels like all they want is to profit off of the things you already enjoy by making low effort, low cost content to turn over for larger payouts.
As an extra conclusion, this problem is going to get worse as people us A.I. to write books for them using prompts from other popular works. This is going to get worse before it gets better. Be vigilant, demand better, and don’t be fooled by the prettiest covers in the library.
