CritRPG - A Podcast about LitRPG, Progression Fantasy, and their authors

#46 - Jeff Hays' Manifesto for Quality, Fun and Feels, and also obviously Dungeon Crawler Carl.

May 12, 2024
Jeff Hays, master of sound quality, discusses litRPG, quality in the literary market, and corsets in an engaging podcast. Topics include accidental success, AI in storytelling, and the evolution of litRPG in audio format.
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INSIGHT

Three Author Mindsets And What Wins

  • Hays observes three primary author mindsets: artist, entertainer, or businessman, and rarely a true blend.
  • He argues entertainer-authors plus business sense tend to blend most successfully in the current market.
INSIGHT

Business Optimization Can Corrupt Art

  • Hays criticizes business-first creators who exploit mechanics (like dopamine hooks) instead of crafting satisfying products.
  • He likens manipulative game design and exploitative writing strategies to dark patterns that erode integrity.
INSIGHT

Lowbrow Readers Enable Highbrow Art

  • LitRPG lowered Hays' snobbery by exposing him to a large audience that reads casually, enabling higher-brow work to be funded.
  • He frames lowbrow/popular entertainment as necessary to finance experimentation.
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