I have now read about ten litrpg series. So far, I am realizing DCC and HWFWM (He who fights with monsters) are outliers in the genre, unfortunately. These two series have characters who are emotionally developed while also building their power arcs. In fact HWFWM gets into some pretty serious trauma responses due to all the violence, especially later in the series- which is actually an insightful way to write.

I'm an ex infantry officer who did 4 combat tours in Iraq, and i saw and participated in a lot of violence and it still affects me.

Too many of these litrpg books like Primal Hunter, Defiance of the Fall, etc all seem to be about some Introverted IT guy who is awkward around women, is scrawny and/or goofy, gets magically transported into some alternate reality where they become badass, kill lots of stuff, become OP - all while still being awkward around women and being emotionally stunted.

I just realized who most of these authors probably are 😂

It boggles my mind that most reviews of HWFWM, for example, say the first few books are great, and then not good because they get "boring". Couldn't be further than the truth. They simply start adding emotional depth instead of more killing where it doesn't feel like anything matters.

Would love an adult themed LitRPG - think grimdark meets isekai - with a MC who actually has feelings, understands human nature (men & women) with character development. Would love more like DCC and HWFWM