Here is The Stuff Powerful Spine-Tingling Fantasies are Made of

A Korean Manhwa (만화), The Gamer is also called a webtoon

Video Games in The Manga Universe

  As a boy I use to play numerous video games with my friends, staying over at night and grinding a character on a roleplaying game to a high enough level to tackle that exceptionally hard boss. But the part that always got me was waking up the next day and yearning for that chance to be that powerful in real life. Asking myself "what if video games was the way reality was?" casting firebolts and wielding weapons of godlike power forged by the anvil of Vulcan himself?! 

  Sighing I resigned myself to this mundane reality, knowing that it would always remain just a childhood wish...that was until I started to explore a small sect of manga and anime that took that idea and made it a reality. Welcome to the world of fantasy made reality.

  As trends in subjects for manga and anime evolve to the community that reads them, you'll see the popular fantasies get picked up more rapidly beyond multiple genres and vast titles that make them up. One of those latest trends is video games becoming reality.

  A prime example of this is The Gamer, set in contemporary South Korea originally not introducing anything out of the ordinary until that is the main protagonist, Han Jee-Han, notices a dialogue box in front of him stating that he has become a video game character and thats when things get weird as the supernatural starts to happen all around.

  Although, The Gamer is exception to the more common plot of having the main character finding themselves caught/trapped, or what have you, in a universe where they live like video game character. Picking up skills and leveling up until eventually they are living legends (Click on the picture of Re:Monster over at the side to read a good example of this, only 23 chapters).

  Some examples of this are-

• The Rising of the Shield Hero
• Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
• The New Gate
• World Customize Creator
• Overlord (this has an amazing anime located on Hulu)
• Regarding Being Reincarnated as a Slime (This will be discussed in further detail regarding Light Novel influences)

 

Although there are many more, some dating back to the 90's or around early 2000's, the main thing we see here is the ability to absorb abilities. Usually these characters later on become known as demons of great gluttony. Interesting to see these same themes told differently each time, that certain stories resonate so deeply within the hearts of the manga and anime community.
  More often than not, the other factor that plays heavily in these titles are people who in reality are shut ins or Hikikomori and are people who have gave up most of their lives to video games and end up masters of these new worlds. An interesting turn of social dogma, seeing the people we regard as outcasts becoming social leaders of whole kingdoms.
  Not too surprising considering that all story telling is an outlet of some sort for the mind to explore a concept or idea presented in the plot. That usually the people who read these aren't always socially cast aside but on some level, conscious or subconscious, we relate to these characters. Or to be fair, we are at least fascinated by their transformation. Any who, more of about this topic of manga and anime in regards to the community as a philosophical or psychological lens in a later post.
  With all that said, go out and read and watch. Absorb the plots with that in mind as you watch normal people placed in a world that is like a video game.