Fiction influenced by gaming culture and mechanics, broader than LitRPG and not requiring visible stats or game systems.
GameLit is the umbrella term for fiction influenced by video games, tabletop RPGs, and gaming culture. Unlike LitRPG, which requires visible mechanics (stats, levels, status screens), GameLit simply needs the story to feel game-influenced: dungeon crawls, quest structures, respawn mechanics, boss fights, or any narrative built on gaming logic. The stats might be invisible or absent entirely.
GameLit gives you more creative freedom than strict LitRPG while still reaching the gaming-adjacent reader market. If your story is inspired by games but you don't want to include stat blocks on the page, GameLit is your category. Understanding the distinction between GameLit and LitRPG helps you set accurate reader expectations.
A treasure hunt inside a virtual world, heavily game-influenced without visible RPG mechanics.
Dungeon-crawling fantasy with game-like elements but focused more on world and character than stats.
Players trapped in a VR game, the premise that launched a wave of game-world fiction.
Write a scene structured like a game encounter: your character enters a room, identifies a challenge, uses specific abilities or tools to overcome it, and gains something. But write it as literary fiction, no stats, no game language. The structure should feel game-like without announcing itself.