I find realism very important in literature. This is so pathetically easy when you write a LitRPG in an actual game world I find it sad how bad this book got it.
The developers created an AI that rewrote its own code in order to read minds, implant memories, create emotions, and control the physical bodies of the players, including automated bodily functions humans can’t consciously control. They knew this then released the game without telling anyone and hiding it from the official trials designed to test how safe the game was. This would have bankrupt the delevelopers inside a day due to law suits. Any developer worth his salt would have scrapped the game and taken this AI directly to the medical and educational communities and likely become the world’s first multi trillionair after revolutionalizong the world. The AI could download a full language in one go that is remembered outside the game. It changed people’s personalities, fixed minor medical issues, and exercised players without them being aware of it.
They did no marketing yet got 25 million players paying a $250 monthly subscription. In fact, they were so inept in the marketing department they didn’t even think that streaming was something people would be interested in. Furthermore, the developers actually banned themselves from players data. No subscription-based MMORPG in existence would restrict themselves from server side data.
Now take the actual game where a day 1 noob can 1 shot someone over 100 levels by simply stabbing them in the neck with starter equipment. I’m then supposed to believe that levels matter….
Jason manages to get himself expelled from his elite prep school on launch day while his parents are out if town. Once inside the game he murders a mean old lady, the vice principal from his school, and is rewarded with a special starting experience. He murders other innocents in the name of revenge and then is rewarded with a Necromancer class. He is able to summon dozens of slaves each more powerful than an equivalent player of his level. Each zombie is more powerful than he is, just as smart as they were when alive, and mindlessly devoted to Jason’s will to the point where he only has to think and they obey.
Overnight 2 days after release Jason is level 12 and goes on a murderous rampage, killing 1/3 of the starting city, slaying dozens of people levels 100+ and even a few 200+. He loots and conquers the city and then is rewarded with a quest to become king and personally unlocks a new game-wide starting race. Seriously, how is Bagwell justifying the morality of this? Mass genocide is where the namesake “catharsis” comes in. Bagwell writes the book to justify murder in the name of revenge and the betterment the one committing the act.
Oh, remember I said he literally loots an entire city’s resources? Jason sells a single item on the auction house for $7000 real world dollars, and then continues to whine and moan about the unfairness of wealth in a p2w game.
David Stifel, excellent job narrating. You are worthy of 5☆.