kairosdreaming's review
4.0
**This book was received as a Free Advanced Reader's Copy**
Gamers is a book about, well, Gamers. Running with the dystopian theme that is so popular right now, Gamers provides a look at a future where people have shifted over to a very technological reality. I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit, and thought that it offered an interesting approach to the genre. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars because of some things I'd like to see improved, but even so, it had a way of drawing you into the story.
Gabby is a somewhat hacker and gifted student that is preparing for her Final Raid. In Gabby's world, people are ranked by points that will tell whether they get into a job by university or be regulated into the lower class jobs offered to those who don't score high enough. These points are built up by performing regular tasks, playing games at school, and in general succeeding at life. When Gabby's reality is disrupted by a group dubbing themselves the Frags, she learns that her world is not quite what it seems. LifeGame is more real than one could imagine, and the consequences for not scoring high are dire. Especially in the Final Raid, which will determine her and her classmates fates.
Gabby is an ok character. She seems to genuinely care for her friend. Her parents are a different story but we don't see much of them so it doesn't seem to matter if Gabby likes them or not. The Frags as a group were interesting, but we only had a limited time with them so I couldn't really feel connected to them or their plight. I would have liked to know more about this and why Gabby trusted them so much, but I suspect that is reserved for the next book in the series. Gabby's friend also had a limited time in the book but Zaela is a character I connected with. She's an artist, and while that's not highly valued in Gabby's worl, I value it. By contrast, Gabby spends more time with her arch-nemesis, the leader of a group called the Evil Dolls during the final raid. Which don't get me wrong, she was a complex character, I just don't think she should have had more time than Zaela since she's so integral to Gabby's life.
The plot was interesting. Being a past gamer myself I was able to appreciate the Dungeons and Dragons type setting of the last raid. In fact, it may have even brought back some memories for me. That being said, people who aren't gamers might not understand some of the lingo that was used, but I don't think it was greatly devastate their enjoyment of the book. I also didn't really understand the role of the government in the book and why precisely they were fighting a war. There were hints at it all over, but nothing was ever really explained about why such an entity came into the power it had. I also realize this could come in the later books, but it would have been nice to have a little more background to understand Gabby's world together. As it is, it's almost alien. The actual running of the games and the points system was well done. I could see the concept being used efficiently to rank people, and while I may not understand why the games are so important compared to reality type life skills, it made the book interesting to read about the different types of games. I also liked the descriptions of how they could change their rooms and appearances. It just added to the total effect of Gabby's world. The book is descriptive which helps because there is a lot of detail in it. It may end somewhat abruptly, but that just gives a good reason to read the next book in the series.
An interesting take on a dystopian book. I can definitely see myself reading the rest of the books in the series at some point.
Gamers
Copyright 2011
313 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
Gamers is a book about, well, Gamers. Running with the dystopian theme that is so popular right now, Gamers provides a look at a future where people have shifted over to a very technological reality. I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit, and thought that it offered an interesting approach to the genre. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars because of some things I'd like to see improved, but even so, it had a way of drawing you into the story.
Gabby is a somewhat hacker and gifted student that is preparing for her Final Raid. In Gabby's world, people are ranked by points that will tell whether they get into a job by university or be regulated into the lower class jobs offered to those who don't score high enough. These points are built up by performing regular tasks, playing games at school, and in general succeeding at life. When Gabby's reality is disrupted by a group dubbing themselves the Frags, she learns that her world is not quite what it seems. LifeGame is more real than one could imagine, and the consequences for not scoring high are dire. Especially in the Final Raid, which will determine her and her classmates fates.
Gabby is an ok character. She seems to genuinely care for her friend. Her parents are a different story but we don't see much of them so it doesn't seem to matter if Gabby likes them or not. The Frags as a group were interesting, but we only had a limited time with them so I couldn't really feel connected to them or their plight. I would have liked to know more about this and why Gabby trusted them so much, but I suspect that is reserved for the next book in the series. Gabby's friend also had a limited time in the book but Zaela is a character I connected with. She's an artist, and while that's not highly valued in Gabby's worl, I value it. By contrast, Gabby spends more time with her arch-nemesis, the leader of a group called the Evil Dolls during the final raid. Which don't get me wrong, she was a complex character, I just don't think she should have had more time than Zaela since she's so integral to Gabby's life.
The plot was interesting. Being a past gamer myself I was able to appreciate the Dungeons and Dragons type setting of the last raid. In fact, it may have even brought back some memories for me. That being said, people who aren't gamers might not understand some of the lingo that was used, but I don't think it was greatly devastate their enjoyment of the book. I also didn't really understand the role of the government in the book and why precisely they were fighting a war. There were hints at it all over, but nothing was ever really explained about why such an entity came into the power it had. I also realize this could come in the later books, but it would have been nice to have a little more background to understand Gabby's world together. As it is, it's almost alien. The actual running of the games and the points system was well done. I could see the concept being used efficiently to rank people, and while I may not understand why the games are so important compared to reality type life skills, it made the book interesting to read about the different types of games. I also liked the descriptions of how they could change their rooms and appearances. It just added to the total effect of Gabby's world. The book is descriptive which helps because there is a lot of detail in it. It may end somewhat abruptly, but that just gives a good reason to read the next book in the series.
An interesting take on a dystopian book. I can definitely see myself reading the rest of the books in the series at some point.
Gamers
Copyright 2011
313 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
djotaku's review against another edition
3.0
For some reason, I've found myself reading a lot of YA fiction over the last couple years. On the negative side, it appears that Dystopias are the genre du jour. Nothing wrong with them, and I think something about them speaks to teens. When I was a teen, that was my favorite genre - 1984, A Brave New World, and many others. But I think there can definitely end up being a bit of fatigue from reading books where the conflict is with the evil government rather than internal or with other peers.
But there have also been quite positive trends like an increase in female protagonists. In this case, Gabby was even likable, unlike Katniss. As I commented in a status update, she seemed to be a pretty authentically written girl. Sure, just like pretty much every bit of YA fiction for the past couple decades (or more) there's the mean girl clique trope and the I used to be one of them trope. But Carpenter appears to rely on less stereotypes and the friendships and fights seem to be realistically portrayed. Another good trend, while no one appears to be explicitly gay or lesbian, in a scene I'd rather not spoil, the main character mentions she wouldn't be grossed out by another female character kissing her. It's not what she'd want, but it wouldn't be any different from a guy she didn't like kissing her.
As you can currently read on the Goodreads description of this book, the entire world has been gamified; this is what led me to decide to read this book (I'd gotten it as part of a Storybundle collection). I've seen a huge increase and intrusion of gamification into our world. Once people realized how much we loved Xbox, PS3, and Steam trophies/achievements, they started incorporating them into everything. Fitocracy, which I used to use to log my exercises, has trophies for doing random amounts of exercise. The Fedora Project (governing body of the Fedora distribution of Linux) has badges for various achievements. Even my Marriott frequent stay program has badges for various things - stays of certain lengths, writing reviews, etc. So the idea of an entire world in which this was true sounded pretty neat. Carpenter even has fun with the idea by having the culture revolve around video games. Just as the citizens of Brave New World used Ford as an invocation, in this world "that's so cool/rad/awesome" becomes "That's so Mario!" and the opposite is, naturally, "that's so Bowser!" I went back and forth with finding it cute and groan-worthy.
I am not going to accuse Carpenter of stealing any ideas because the ideas really seem to be in the zeitgeist right now - the general idea follows that of The Hunger Games, Mars Rising, and Battle Royale - there's a competition in which the stakes are more or less life or death at the climax of this book. The main difference is that, unlike those other books - the kids are in the dark about the stakes at hand. They just think it's the difference between a good university and a crappy job. It shares more with Mars Rising and Devil on my Back in that sense. And Carpenter does a good job of presenting the challenge in the form of a Raid, in keeping with the culture of this world.
Really there's just one thing I don't like about this book when compared to its brethren. If you look at The Hunger Games, Mars Rising, or (in the movie world) The Matrix - each of those has a first book that works on its own. If you never read books 2 and 3 you'll still come away having had a full story arc. I don't know how the Mars Rising Sequels will work, but for both Hunger Games and The Matrix - part 2 does not end nice and neat like the first entry. If you experience 2, you need 3. But Gamers does not work well on its own. And, frankly, if it's going to end that way, I'd rather just have a bigger book instead of a trilogy. For another analogy, if you look at the world of comics - many of them have long-running stories going on. But each arc (usually published as a trade) tends to be self-sufficient. You can read the trade and feel that you got a beginning, middle, and end - even if it's dropping hints of various levels of subtlety about what's coming next.
Overall, it's a good setup in a neat world with a female protagonist. Things could have been a lot worse. But I wish we could have had a bit more closure in this first entry into the trilogy.
But there have also been quite positive trends like an increase in female protagonists. In this case, Gabby was even likable, unlike Katniss. As I commented in a status update, she seemed to be a pretty authentically written girl. Sure, just like pretty much every bit of YA fiction for the past couple decades (or more) there's the mean girl clique trope and the I used to be one of them trope. But Carpenter appears to rely on less stereotypes and the friendships and fights seem to be realistically portrayed. Another good trend, while no one appears to be explicitly gay or lesbian, in a scene I'd rather not spoil, the main character mentions she wouldn't be grossed out by another female character kissing her. It's not what she'd want, but it wouldn't be any different from a guy she didn't like kissing her.
As you can currently read on the Goodreads description of this book, the entire world has been gamified; this is what led me to decide to read this book (I'd gotten it as part of a Storybundle collection). I've seen a huge increase and intrusion of gamification into our world. Once people realized how much we loved Xbox, PS3, and Steam trophies/achievements, they started incorporating them into everything. Fitocracy, which I used to use to log my exercises, has trophies for doing random amounts of exercise. The Fedora Project (governing body of the Fedora distribution of Linux) has badges for various achievements. Even my Marriott frequent stay program has badges for various things - stays of certain lengths, writing reviews, etc. So the idea of an entire world in which this was true sounded pretty neat. Carpenter even has fun with the idea by having the culture revolve around video games. Just as the citizens of Brave New World used Ford as an invocation, in this world "that's so cool/rad/awesome" becomes "That's so Mario!" and the opposite is, naturally, "that's so Bowser!" I went back and forth with finding it cute and groan-worthy.
I am not going to accuse Carpenter of stealing any ideas because the ideas really seem to be in the zeitgeist right now - the general idea follows that of The Hunger Games, Mars Rising, and Battle Royale - there's a competition in which the stakes are more or less life or death at the climax of this book. The main difference is that, unlike those other books - the kids are in the dark about the stakes at hand. They just think it's the difference between a good university and a crappy job. It shares more with Mars Rising and Devil on my Back in that sense. And Carpenter does a good job of presenting the challenge in the form of a Raid, in keeping with the culture of this world.
Really there's just one thing I don't like about this book when compared to its brethren. If you look at The Hunger Games, Mars Rising, or (in the movie world) The Matrix - each of those has a first book that works on its own. If you never read books 2 and 3 you'll still come away having had a full story arc. I don't know how the Mars Rising Sequels will work, but for both Hunger Games and The Matrix - part 2 does not end nice and neat like the first entry. If you experience 2, you need 3. But Gamers does not work well on its own. And, frankly, if it's going to end that way, I'd rather just have a bigger book instead of a trilogy. For another analogy, if you look at the world of comics - many of them have long-running stories going on. But each arc (usually published as a trade) tends to be self-sufficient. You can read the trade and feel that you got a beginning, middle, and end - even if it's dropping hints of various levels of subtlety about what's coming next.
Overall, it's a good setup in a neat world with a female protagonist. Things could have been a lot worse. But I wish we could have had a bit more closure in this first entry into the trilogy.
kesnit's review
3.0
The setting is interesting, though it could be better developed. The first part of the book is pretty good, and I really liked where the author was going.
Then we got to the Final Raid, and the book went downhill. The new characters that were added were stereotypes and poorly developed. The idea behind the Final Raid (think an MMO raid, except instead of sitting at a keyboard, you are in the game) is interesting, but the way the Raid was rigged was rather dumb. (Avoiding spoilers, so no more details.) Plus, it went on too long (about 30% of the book, give or take).
Finally, we get to the ending. Or rather, what passes for an ending, as the book just ends and almost nothing is resolved. I want to know what happens, but don't want to have to read the next book in order to find out.
Then we got to the Final Raid, and the book went downhill. The new characters that were added were stereotypes and poorly developed. The idea behind the Final Raid (think an MMO raid, except instead of sitting at a keyboard, you are in the game) is interesting, but the way the Raid was rigged was rather dumb. (Avoiding spoilers, so no more details.) Plus, it went on too long (about 30% of the book, give or take).
Finally, we get to the ending. Or rather, what passes for an ending, as the book just ends and almost nothing is resolved. I want to know what happens, but don't want to have to read the next book in order to find out.
brixdan's review
3.0
This book was great. A nice easy read and really captivating content. Probably need to understand MMORPG language to get the finer points of this book, but that made it SO much more fun to read.
princess_starr's review
2.0
Is there anything more disappointing as reading a book with an interesting premise and realizing in the first chunk how bland it is? There were several points while I was reading this and thinking back to Sword Art Online and that I should really ought to just find the translations of those books. Gamers isn’t as horrible that I was tempted to chuck my Kindle at the wall, but it’s so by the numbers.
Starting with the world-building, which is easily the worst part of the book. I feel like the whole mantra of “The real world isn’t real!” is just a lazy cop-out to avoid any real description of the setting. There is no clear distinction between the real world and what Gabby is seeing when she’s online. And for the record, how is the online overlaid onto the real world in here? I’m assuming ocular implants, but Carpenter never takes the time to make this distinction. Also, the time-frame of the world-building. If this form of society where gaming is your life and if you don’t have enough points, you literally lose…wouldn’t people start catching on that their children and loved ones are disappearing? Also, apparently there’s no medical advancement in this future, because if you get sick and miss one day of gaming, you’re screwed! I hate to be the cynic here, but it feels like the author read Extras and Ready Player One and decided he’s going to write a book just like those! And then missed the points of both.
The characters and plot are so boring and cookie-cutter. ‘Ordinary’ high school girl with a special talent sees mysterious boy at school. She wants to learn more about mysterious boy, and instead learns about grand conspiracy, which—DUN DUN!—she is a target of, despite being oh-so normal! It also doesn’t particularly help that half of the book is taken up by this “Final Raid” Gabby has to navigate. Apparently, there are high stakes involved, but I never got that she was playing for her life. Nor did I get any inkling that Gabby was willing to die for her friend Zaela, since the latter only appears for a handful of pages. The pacing is terrible, so much of the first half is info-dumping this grand conspiracy, and the second half is the Final Raid, which just reads like a transcript of WoW quest (with occasional interlude to remind you of the plot).
At best? This reads like a very, very early draft of a Nanowrimo book that just got a rough polish and then put online. (Speaking as an experienced Nano veteran who did self e-pub, that is a huge no-no.) The whole “Life as a game” has been done before, but it’s still an interesting concept that, in the right hands, could be really well-done. This is just feels like a rip-off of much better works, and I could find better things to recommend.
Starting with the world-building, which is easily the worst part of the book. I feel like the whole mantra of “The real world isn’t real!” is just a lazy cop-out to avoid any real description of the setting. There is no clear distinction between the real world and what Gabby is seeing when she’s online. And for the record, how is the online overlaid onto the real world in here? I’m assuming ocular implants, but Carpenter never takes the time to make this distinction. Also, the time-frame of the world-building. If this form of society where gaming is your life and if you don’t have enough points, you literally lose…wouldn’t people start catching on that their children and loved ones are disappearing? Also, apparently there’s no medical advancement in this future, because if you get sick and miss one day of gaming, you’re screwed! I hate to be the cynic here, but it feels like the author read Extras and Ready Player One and decided he’s going to write a book just like those! And then missed the points of both.
The characters and plot are so boring and cookie-cutter. ‘Ordinary’ high school girl with a special talent sees mysterious boy at school. She wants to learn more about mysterious boy, and instead learns about grand conspiracy, which—DUN DUN!—she is a target of, despite being oh-so normal! It also doesn’t particularly help that half of the book is taken up by this “Final Raid” Gabby has to navigate. Apparently, there are high stakes involved, but I never got that she was playing for her life. Nor did I get any inkling that Gabby was willing to die for her friend Zaela, since the latter only appears for a handful of pages. The pacing is terrible, so much of the first half is info-dumping this grand conspiracy, and the second half is the Final Raid, which just reads like a transcript of WoW quest (with occasional interlude to remind you of the plot).
At best? This reads like a very, very early draft of a Nanowrimo book that just got a rough polish and then put online. (Speaking as an experienced Nano veteran who did self e-pub, that is a huge no-no.) The whole “Life as a game” has been done before, but it’s still an interesting concept that, in the right hands, could be really well-done. This is just feels like a rip-off of much better works, and I could find better things to recommend.
chaosqueen's review
2.0
I thought I would love this book. The synopsis intrigued me deeply. I mean come on, a dystopian society based in videogames? Come on that is so freaking cool! But alas, it didn't live up to the awesomeness.
The prose was too hard for me to follow. I mean I play games, but mostly on my DS Lite, not a hardcore gamer. With this in mind, I didn't get half the things our main protagonist was saying. Plus there were made up slang words that I had no idea what they meant. *Facepalm*
Also the page numbering threw me off. That really doesn't have anything to do with this book, but it bothered me. It was supposed to be 900 pages, but wasn't. It skipped from 71 to 74 and so on and so forth. I just didn't like that. I was looking forward to seeing how Carpenter would make a 900 page book with this synopsis work, sadly that didn't happen.
It's such a shame, because this book could have been fantasmagorical. If only.....
The prose was too hard for me to follow. I mean I play games, but mostly on my DS Lite, not a hardcore gamer. With this in mind, I didn't get half the things our main protagonist was saying. Plus there were made up slang words that I had no idea what they meant. *Facepalm*
Also the page numbering threw me off. That really doesn't have anything to do with this book, but it bothered me. It was supposed to be 900 pages, but wasn't. It skipped from 71 to 74 and so on and so forth. I just didn't like that. I was looking forward to seeing how Carpenter would make a 900 page book with this synopsis work, sadly that didn't happen.
It's such a shame, because this book could have been fantasmagorical. If only.....
daelly's review
3.0
I liked it for the world, the concept of it all and the mysteries. The persons were engaging, but not entirely enough for me to give it 4. I felt something was missing at the end, I did not feel as relieved as I would like to.
kellysreads's review
3.0
There’s something to be said about a book that can entertain. Does Gamers suffer from shotty world-building and weak characterization? Most definitely. But did I mind while I was reading it? Not really.
A gifted hacker, Gabby has been “grinding points” for her LifeScore by performing mundane tasks (like brushing her teeth) and playing games to ensure she gets in to University, something that would guarantee her a good job. This is referenced repeatedly throughout Gamers, but exactly what job University will get you, is never explained. Other than being a Coder – someone who designs LifeGame – and a few vague references to a military, no other jobs are ever mentioned. Considering the plot depends on Gabby’s rude awakening about the truth for those who don’t get in to University, one would think that the types of jobs available would be better explained. This hole was made even more glaringly obvious when Gabby was left answerless after being asked what she thought the minor jobs were. How can you be so desperate to avoid the non-University jobs when you don’t even know what they are?
There were many such questions that I wished Gabby had asked, or explored a little deeper, that were implied and then given no attention. Her lack of curiosity about the truths shown to her by the Frags was something I had a really hard time overcoming. After the leap of faith it took for her to trust the Frags enough to even listen to their side of the story, I was surprised by how few questions she asked and how quickly she believed their version of events. And then once it was apparent that she was going to believe what they had shown her, she kind of meandered through Gamers without the urgency I felt her situation demanded. While she did rush back, it was only because she realized they had started Final Raid early and she was falling behind in points. Not once did she consider telling her teammates the truth about what she had learned from the Frags, nor did she confide her secrets to her best friend, Zaela. Rather, she played Final Raid to the best of her abilities, and hoped that Zaela would earn enough points on her own to end up safe at University with her.
But, while I had all of these thoughts swimming around in my head, I was also enjoying reading Gamers. Gabby’s constant checking of her LifeScore added a lot of suspense, as you worried she wouldn’t be able to catch up, and I loved the Dungeons and Dragons style gameplay used for Final Raid. I did have a hard time with some of the gaming terms used, and found myself wikking many of them – which generally, didn’t provide much clarity if I’m honest. But the concept behind LifeGame and Final Raid was pretty neat – you controlled your future, depending on how invested you were at learning how to play better. And personally, I really liked how some popular gaming characters were used as slang.
And then, of course, there’s the question of what playing games has to do with running a successful society…
But, my issues with Gamers aside, I really enjoyed reading it. There’s definitely room for improvement, and I think the ending was slightly rushed and anticlimactic, but it was entertaining. And sometimes, that’s enough.
A gifted hacker, Gabby has been “grinding points” for her LifeScore by performing mundane tasks (like brushing her teeth) and playing games to ensure she gets in to University, something that would guarantee her a good job. This is referenced repeatedly throughout Gamers, but exactly what job University will get you, is never explained. Other than being a Coder – someone who designs LifeGame – and a few vague references to a military, no other jobs are ever mentioned. Considering the plot depends on Gabby’s rude awakening about the truth for those who don’t get in to University, one would think that the types of jobs available would be better explained. This hole was made even more glaringly obvious when Gabby was left answerless after being asked what she thought the minor jobs were. How can you be so desperate to avoid the non-University jobs when you don’t even know what they are?
There were many such questions that I wished Gabby had asked, or explored a little deeper, that were implied and then given no attention. Her lack of curiosity about the truths shown to her by the Frags was something I had a really hard time overcoming. After the leap of faith it took for her to trust the Frags enough to even listen to their side of the story, I was surprised by how few questions she asked and how quickly she believed their version of events. And then once it was apparent that she was going to believe what they had shown her, she kind of meandered through Gamers without the urgency I felt her situation demanded. While she did rush back, it was only because she realized they had started Final Raid early and she was falling behind in points. Not once did she consider telling her teammates the truth about what she had learned from the Frags, nor did she confide her secrets to her best friend, Zaela. Rather, she played Final Raid to the best of her abilities, and hoped that Zaela would earn enough points on her own to end up safe at University with her.
But, while I had all of these thoughts swimming around in my head, I was also enjoying reading Gamers. Gabby’s constant checking of her LifeScore added a lot of suspense, as you worried she wouldn’t be able to catch up, and I loved the Dungeons and Dragons style gameplay used for Final Raid. I did have a hard time with some of the gaming terms used, and found myself wikking many of them – which generally, didn’t provide much clarity if I’m honest. But the concept behind LifeGame and Final Raid was pretty neat – you controlled your future, depending on how invested you were at learning how to play better. And personally, I really liked how some popular gaming characters were used as slang.
“It’s so Bowser that they made the Raid worth so many points.”
“What in Mario’s name is that thing?”But, I can also see how some of the slang used might put off others. It took a couple uses of the word “debuff” and “twinked” in context for me to slightly understand what they meant.
And then, of course, there’s the question of what playing games has to do with running a successful society…
But, my issues with Gamers aside, I really enjoyed reading it. There’s definitely room for improvement, and I think the ending was slightly rushed and anticlimactic, but it was entertaining. And sometimes, that’s enough.
reader_fictions's review against another edition
2.0
Gamers is one of two self-pubs I have on my list to read for Dystopian February. Though I'm generally skeptical of self-published books, Thomas K. Carpenter sent me a real review request, one where he'd looked up my name and read some of my work. I appreciate when the requesters have done their due diligence before contacting me, and his book actually fit within the broad swath of genres I enjoy, which happens surprisingly rarely.
Like a few other dystopian novels I've read, Gamers considers a society where life is like a video game, the average person a mere player moving about in an artificial reality. The construct is a fascinating one, which is no doubt the reason it's proved so popular with authors. What's cool about it, though, is that, even though I've read at least four books which used this basic premise, they all have been able to do unique things with it, because the landscape and functioning of the gaming world can vary so widely.
The gamers get points for everything they do, from taking tests to personal hygiene to leisure activities. These points add up to a Life Score, a number which determines your ranking and whether the person will be able to attend college. This is LifeGame, where people walk around collecting points like Mario collects little gold coins from his car in MarioKart.
What's really cool about Gamers are the layers of gaming. From within LifeGame, the players can enter another game. It makes me wonder where real life actually begins. There's a sort of Inception-like quality to it, in that there's no way to say where the game ends. Every aspect of your life can be peered into and affected by a hacker or coder. It's a really scary thought.
The first half of Gamers reads like a science fiction novel, setting up the world and establishing how LifeGame works. Once that's done, you learn the inevitable dark underbelly of the world. At about the midway point, there's a sort of genre change when, from within LifeGame, Gabby and the other students enter a game as their final test to determine whether they will get into college. The game has the feel of a high fantasy video game. I found both parts entertaining, and fast-paced.
The characters never really grabbed me, and do not develop all that much over the course of the novel. I do appreciate, though, the complex relationships between Zaela, Gabby, and Avony. They could have been a bit more deftly-handled, but I like that they're not black and white, and none of the girls is demonized or placed on a pedestal. No one in Gamers comes off as utterly perfect, which is a nice change from so many idealized YA heroines.
So far as the editing goes, I do think Gamers could benefit from a bit more editing. I noticed several errors, but they weren't on every page by any mean. The strangest errors were misspellings with double letters, like scrapping instead of scraping, chaffed instead of chafed, and gripped instead of griped.
Gamers is a quick, enjoyable, fast-paced dystopian read. I think it is best-suited perhaps for a younger teen, even middle grade, audience or for more reluctant readers. As of 2/12/13, the Kindle edition is free temporarily on Amazon, on sale from $5.99, so if you're curious there's no better time!
Like a few other dystopian novels I've read, Gamers considers a society where life is like a video game, the average person a mere player moving about in an artificial reality. The construct is a fascinating one, which is no doubt the reason it's proved so popular with authors. What's cool about it, though, is that, even though I've read at least four books which used this basic premise, they all have been able to do unique things with it, because the landscape and functioning of the gaming world can vary so widely.
The gamers get points for everything they do, from taking tests to personal hygiene to leisure activities. These points add up to a Life Score, a number which determines your ranking and whether the person will be able to attend college. This is LifeGame, where people walk around collecting points like Mario collects little gold coins from his car in MarioKart.
What's really cool about Gamers are the layers of gaming. From within LifeGame, the players can enter another game. It makes me wonder where real life actually begins. There's a sort of Inception-like quality to it, in that there's no way to say where the game ends. Every aspect of your life can be peered into and affected by a hacker or coder. It's a really scary thought.
The first half of Gamers reads like a science fiction novel, setting up the world and establishing how LifeGame works. Once that's done, you learn the inevitable dark underbelly of the world. At about the midway point, there's a sort of genre change when, from within LifeGame, Gabby and the other students enter a game as their final test to determine whether they will get into college. The game has the feel of a high fantasy video game. I found both parts entertaining, and fast-paced.
The characters never really grabbed me, and do not develop all that much over the course of the novel. I do appreciate, though, the complex relationships between Zaela, Gabby, and Avony. They could have been a bit more deftly-handled, but I like that they're not black and white, and none of the girls is demonized or placed on a pedestal. No one in Gamers comes off as utterly perfect, which is a nice change from so many idealized YA heroines.
So far as the editing goes, I do think Gamers could benefit from a bit more editing. I noticed several errors, but they weren't on every page by any mean. The strangest errors were misspellings with double letters, like scrapping instead of scraping, chaffed instead of chafed, and gripped instead of griped.
Gamers is a quick, enjoyable, fast-paced dystopian read. I think it is best-suited perhaps for a younger teen, even middle grade, audience or for more reluctant readers. As of 2/12/13, the Kindle edition is free temporarily on Amazon, on sale from $5.99, so if you're curious there's no better time!
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