65 pages • 2 hours read
Matt DinnimanDungeon Crawler Carl
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Literary Context: Game Mechanics in Fiction
As part of the litRPG genre, Dungeon Crawler Carl contributes to the growing popularity of narratives that incorporate game mechanics into the story structure. Players assume the roles of characters within a narrative and make decisions that shape the story. The genre blends gaming mechanics and immersive storytelling, and it often includes character progression, quests, and leveling systems that reflect the structures of video games and tabletop role-playing games. One of the defining characteristics of litRPG is its focus on character development and progression, which Dungeon Crawler Carl features in its narrator Carl and his companion, Donut. Carl and Donut start as novices when they enter the dungeon on Level 1, and as they defeat monsters, they gain experience points, increase their skills, and gather equipment. This process mirrors many role-playing games and is particularly reminiscent of the classic tabletop RPG, Dungeons and Dragons, which also requires players to tailor their own backstories, talents, and skills. Within the mechanics of Dungeons and Dragons in particular, each player has a series of statistics quantifying everything from their current skill level to their personality traits (e.g., dexterity, charisma, wisdom, intelligence, etc.) These base stats have a profound impact on what actions each player can successfully take, and Dungeon Crawler Carl appropriates and plays with many of these conventions, as when Princess Donut gains an improbably high Charisma score of 25 and is therefore far more persuasive than Carl.
In the litRPG genre, authors create rich, intricate settings with their own rules, lore, and history, and Matt Dinniman slowly reveals the complexities of his world-building in Dungeon Crawler Carl. LitRPG is designed to appeal to video gamers, role-playing gamers, and fantasy readers alike because it offers a hyperbolic range of epic adventures that take place in a fantastical world. The dungeons that Carl must overcome are also populated by fantasy creatures from a wide range of folklore, as is shown through the appearance of goblins and kobolds. At the same time, the narrative also features the high-tech capabilities of the alien creatures who run the game. These unseen alien creatures have technology so advanced that it seems magical to the novel’s main characters. The litRPG genre is specifically designed to attract readers who are also gamers or who are at least familiar with gaming culture, for this unique genre provides a narrative experience that mimics interactive gameplay.
Cultural Context: Virtual Reality and Gaming
Dungeon Crawler Carl taps into the widespread fascination with virtual realities and gaming culture, reflecting broader societal interests in escapism and the blending of digital and real-world experiences. The novel also critiques the voyeuristic nature of reality TV and its impact on participants and viewers, borrowing plot points from media titles such as Squid Game, The Running Man, The Hunger Games, and Alice in Borderland.
As Carl moves further into the dungeon, he becomes more aware of the world that now dominates his existence. He learns some of the politics motivating the callous and bloody Dungeon Crawl, and it is soon made clear that the Borant Corporation—the entity running this season of the game—stands as the ultimate antagonist. The televised element of the game—where players collect views, favorites, and patrons—adds even more conflict because in addition to accepting the fact that they must kill to survive, Carl and Donut must do so in an entertaining way. If they displease Borant Corporation, the dungeon itself will kill them.
This televised cruelty reaches a crescendo when Carl and Donut are forced onto a show that features a challenge called “Death Watch.” The unfortunate crawlers pulled into Death Watch are given a series of games, and their performance will determine whether they can teleport to safety or whether they will be sent back to their certain death. All of this is done in front of jeering fans and a sadistic interviewer named Maestro. The cruel and voyeuristic joy of the viewers is the only real point of the game. However, Carl rejects this cruelty and instead humiliates Maestro. Even so, Carl cannot humiliate the ultimate bully—Borant Corporation—because doing so would result in his certain death. This challenging dynamic creates high stakes throughout the narrative.
