I PLAY TO LIVE – Another World Part One

The pseudonym Dmitry Rus (Russian: Дмитрий Рус) is used by a Russian writer (*8.9.1975 Kiev), who is a mathematician and computer scientist by education.

He loved reading and visiting libraries since childhood, and by the age of 13 he had read all the books in the children's and youth section and moved to the adult section. He spent the last eighteen years of his life abroad, mostly in the East and Asia.

He combined his interest in literature and his professional interest in computer games in his work and became one of the world's most famous authors of the LitRPG genre. His seven-part series I Play to Live made him a best-selling author. Dmitry Rus currently lives in Moscow.

Can you trade your normal life for a life in virtual reality? One of the most successful titles in the LitRPG genre. It's the 1930s and a mysterious phenomenon called ingest is spreading across the world. It's increasingly common for online game players to find their consciousness separated from their mortal bodies and trapped forever in virtual reality.

Can you imagine the hell that awaits the unfortunate person drawn into a game of Tetris? Or the helplessness felt by a player stuck in a tank simulator and having to fry themselves in the red-hot armor of a battle machine several times a day?

For role-playing game players, however, being drawn opens up the prospect of endless adventure in a fascinating world of sword and magic. Gleb had no choice, an incurable illness forced him to deliberately undergo being drawn in order to snatch at least his consciousness from the arms of death. In the game, eternal life, new friends, love, lots of adventures and also quite a few surprises await him. The biggest thing is that the game world, which at first glance is different, has a lot in common with the real one...

Some people have a glass of wine, others watch a soap opera, and some simply put on their sweatpants and immerse themselves in a virtual world. But what if reality decides that you're not enjoying it anymore and offers you an upgrade in the form of a direct transfer to the MMORPG?

Now imagine if one of us jumped into the game instead of him, big girls. I can already see the tutorial: “First, choose your race, profession, and… anti-wrinkle cream with SPF 50+.” So let’s get started!

If you think that MMORPGs are just about running around the forest in a cute costume and collecting flowers, you're wrong. AlterWorld has its own rules. If you die in the game, your mind evaporates like morning mist over a cup of tea. This is where the game is played on the spot.

Dmitry begins to realize this after the first seemingly harmless mission. Why? Because death here is not just “game over”, but a real danger. It's like your phone starts beeping “low life expectancy” instead of the annoying “low battery”.

And because life (even in games) is sometimes like broken makeup – one wrong move and it’s all over, Dmitry has to learn to survive. He chooses necromancer, which is a fancy version of “I mess around from a safe distance,” and slowly becomes someone others respect. Or at least fear him. Which works out the same.

Over time, Gleb builds his own empire. He finds friends (or at least people who won't kill him right away), gains experience, and - as is the case in any RPG - slowly begins to understand the rules of the game. Which means he turns enemies into allies, allies into enemies, and occasional boss encounters into a festival of panic escapes.

As you read this book, you might wonder how you would fare. Would you survive? Or would you end up as the first NPC victim in a horror mission? The truth is that this book is not only an epic LitRPG, but also a parable about how to face challenges in life. Whether it's a company meeting, your first day at the gym, or choosing shampoo at the drugstore.

Although it seems that I play to live. is a book primarily for geeks and MMORPG fans, in fact there are lessons for all of us. For example:

💡 Adaptation is key – Whether you’re in a game world or in reality, being able to adapt to change is essential. Today you’ll learn new software, tomorrow you’ll learn artificial intelligence – and the day after that you’ll learn how to survive an apocalypse with minimal supplies in your fridge.

💡 Trust your instincts. – Whether you're choosing cosmetics or an ally in an unknown world, first impressions can be decisive.

💡 Don't be afraid to try new things. – In reality, we probably won't buy a magic wand (although, who knows), but we can learn a new language, start drawing or change our lifestyle. You never know what will make you a legend.

Whether you are a gamer or you last clicked on Solitaire in 2003, this book is worth reading. Not only will it draw you into a wonderful world of adventure, but it will also show you that gaming isn't just about escaping reality - sometimes it's a way to navigate it better. 😊

📜 "Life is like a game. You either learn the rules or you play on easy mode until reality kicks you off the server.” – (some wise geek)

📜 ""It doesn't matter how scared you are. What matters is whether you keep playing." – Dmitry Rus

📜 ""If someone tells you that games are a waste of time, give them a book. Then maybe they'll understand that reality isn't always the best game in the world." 😎

Do you play games? No? That doesn't matter, because I believe that this book will still get you. Just like me. Don't think so, I'm not an extra fan, and I spent a lot of time with Wowk (World of Warcraft)
If you don't understand some terms and are confused, there is a game dictionary at the end of the book.
The end of the book is finished in such a way that you immediately want to pick up the next one.

Dmitry Rus is responsible for the entire series I play to live.which has seven parts.:

📚 Order of books in the series: I play to live.

1. – Another world
2. – Clan
3. – Debt
4. – Inferno
5. – War
6. – Battle
7. – Final

I only need to buy and read two more parts 😉