Interesting graphic novel about bullying and economics. Anda recently started playing Coursegold Online, a massive multiplayer role playing game. She loves it, especially when she discovers how to make real-world cash from it. Then she meets a young Chinese boy whose family and future depend on the money he earns from scamming the game, money Anda scams from him. The way both of them earn the money is morally wrong, and yet there is more depending on it than Anda first thinks.

In Real Life is a graphic novel about a teen girl playing a video game. The graphics were pretty good. They illustrate the story, the video game world, and most importantly, the differences between them. The real issue was the ethics of online game economics. It is ethically wrong to spend the time in the game only "farming" the resources for their gold in order to gain money in real life. The game isn't meant to be played that way, which is Anda and her friend stole from those farmers. But the book digs deeper into why the characters were farming the resources in the first place and examines it in the light of ethics and human need. The story does well in explaining it, and it is something people need to hear. However, that is the plot. It is so strong on the message that the plot isn't very compelling. Maybe the author wrote the story to fit the message?

I have complicated feelings about this one.

On one hand, I love the art. Jen Wang is obviously a huge talent and it shows through each panel. I loved that Anda was fat and that she enjoys playing online games and is in a club that plays D&D. It was also super cool to see this all girl gaming league. Anda’s parents are definitely on top of what’s going on in their daughter’s life and it was refreshing to see her mom take a stand against Anda receiving money from strangers online. I’ve seen a few reviews that talk about “What parent would care?” and the answer is… most parents. In the end, I was glad Anda’s mom relented on letting her play (even though she was still playing at internet cafes. It showed a nice balance between worrying for your child and monitoring their internet activity and letting them continue to pursue their hobbies and interests.

As for the subject matter in the book, I think it was a little heavy for the medium and the length of the book. Anda is being hired to kill other players in this game- “farmers” who collect gold that’s used for currency in the virtual world and selling it for actual money. I don’t know enough about online gaming to really comment on how this works, but Anda finds out that this person works 12 hours a day harvesting gold. They make a connection and she finds out that he is sick but isn’t allowed (or is to poor) to go to the doctor. This is really where the story lost me. I think it glosses over what’s going on in these game sites concerning poor people being used to harvest online currency to sell for real money. I’m still a little confused about how it all works. If the author wanted to bring up the terrible workplaces these people have to work in, I would think they would spend a little more time explaining it.

But they don’t. Instead, Anda tells Raymond (his “American” name) that he should stage a protest… which ends up costing him his job. But in the end, it all turns out ok because Raymond finds another job and the workers stage a protest and, hey, since a white girl led the rebellion, everything is super ok!!! White saviorism once again save the poor PoC and she did this from thousands of miles away! WOW!!!

And that’s where it lost two stars.

Honestly, if it wasn’t for the artwork, this would probably be a 2 star book. Maybe even a 1.

I’m not recommending this one.

Doctorow has once again been able to make a relevant commentary on technology issues that will appeal to teen readers.

I really want to read this but many of the panels are blank and in a GN, that is not ok. Will you update the file? I have tried this on multiple devices . I will pick it up in February for sure. I recently heard Cory on IA he was great. I look forward to picking this up.

Would love to have read this but the format would not download and the only option i could download was a protected pdf and neither my laptop nor my iphone would download and open it

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Emily Kopf's review Aug 08, 2017 · edit
really liked it
bookshelves: contemporary, graphic-novels, review-copies, ya-na

Anda recently started playing Coursegold Online, a massive multiplayer role playing game. She loves it, especially when she discovers how to make real-world cash from it. Then she meets a young Chinese boy whose family and future depend on the money he earns from scamming the game, money Anda scams from him. The way both of them earn the money is morally wrong, and yet there is more depending on it than Anda first thinks.

In Real Life is a graphic novel about a teen girl playing a video game. The graphics were pretty good. They illustrate the story, the video game world, and most importantly, the differences between them. I mean, they are obviously different universes, but first time players can sometimes get mixed up between the fantastic beauty of the avatars verses the actual appearances in real life. That wasn't the issue in this book, but I was glad it was there all the same.

The real issue was the ethics of online game economics. It is ethically wrong to spend the time in the game only "farming" the resources for their gold in order to gain money in real life. The game isn't meant to be played that way, which is Anda and her friend stole from those farmers. But the book digs deeper into why the characters were farming the resources in the first place and examines it in the light of ethics and human need. The story does well in explaining it, and it is something people need to hear. However, that is the plot. It is so strong on the message that the plot isn't very compelling. Maybe the author wrote the story to fit the message?

In Real Life is an interesting graphic novel for teens that addresses some of today's problems in MMO's through story.

I received a complementary copy of this book. All opinions are my own, and I did not receive compensation.

This graphic novel was a nice break between larger books. I enjoyed the fact that it was short and light, but I wish there had been a bit more depth. In the prologue, the author writes a heartfelt message explaining the economics involved with gaming and how the internet is a human construct (along with many other things) that has provided a means for organization in a new way. This little introductions was actually quite fascinating, but I wouldn't have gotten the message from reading the graphic novel alone. In this case, the author had to tell instead of show. The plot of the novel itself was short and sweet, if not predictable and simplistic. That being said, it was entertaining, but not as profound as I would have expected given the introduction. The ending seemed a bit rushed and a bit too perfect, so I think that could have been fleshed out a little more.

The art style was lovely--the characters were well-drawn and the scenery was consistent. The paneling seemed a bit lazy compared to what I usually read (which is manga), but I think it worked well with the cutesy aesthetic of the story. If I'm being honest, I enjoyed the art itself more than the story.

I would recommend this as a quick read for anyone in need of a break from more complex, involved books. It was sweet, simple, and entertaining.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books for the advanced reading copy of In Real Life by Cory Doctorow. I can't wait to start this book.

I absolutely loved this graphic novel and the message it sends! In Real Life is a graphic novel about a girl named Anda who loves this multiplayer online role-playing game called Coarsegold Online. Through this game Anda meets a Chinese boy that is a gold farmer (which is illegal in the game). This graphic novel explores gaming, poverty, and adolescence. This graphic novel is an easy read with amazing art. It takes a deeper look into culture and poverty. Not everything is black and white. What is justice? What is equality? I loved that a gaming graphic novel tackled such big topics.

A good, quick read. I loved the artwork, and would definitely recommend this book to teens who like graphic novels and video games. It was nice to read a graphic novel featuring a girl, that isn't based on a fairy tale, but on real life.

I found this graphic novel charming. It's really well situated for a young reader with a passing interest in gaming and a nice and relatively light introduction to economics, unions, and a lot of heady concepts. That said, it was charming for me (a former MMORPG player) as well- I identified with the young girl gamer, and simultaneously imagined handing this off to my gamer students. It might open their eyes. It opens with an introduction that situates the comic in terms of very real-world concerns, without talking down to the reader. And the art and dialogue felt very evocative and lush. A winner!

This is my first graphic novel type book and I absolutely loved it! The illustrations were beautiful and I cant stop looking at it!
I don't think the story is particularly innovative but I think it sends a really good message.
It was a great read and I'll happily read more from Cory Doctorow in future!

A teen gamer, Anda, is invited on missions with real-world earning potential: money will be deposited in her PayPal account if she kills “gold farmers” in the game.

At first, Anda is excited by the opportunity to earn easy money, but soon discovers that the gold farmers she is killing are not game-generated “bots,” but people who make their living by harvesting in-game artifacts so their employer can sell them to players who want to acquire them without making their own effort.

In Real Life presents readers with a lot to think about. In the role-playing game community, who is exploiting the game — and are the ways that they do so, equivalent?

Other issues include ways that people might view themselves based on how they style their avatars, and ways that they treat people whom they perceive to not be like them.

I played World of Warcraft for some time and so this story brings back memories of that for me. I always knew what gold farmers were, but never really gave much thought about WHO they were. This story opened my eyes to that part of it.

I loved how Anda was shown as a girl who is highly intelligent when it comes to computer software. That is still a field that not many women are in. But I also liked how it showed her "girly" emotional side as well when she starts to care for Raymond's plight.

The graphics are pretty good this time around as well. (I also have read The Prince and the Dressmaker which was also done by Jen Wang and do like these better.)

Over all I gave this a 4 star rating for the realistic look at what other cultures face and how the little things can do big stuff in helping others.

I like it because I can finish the book in single sitting. The main theme of the story is intense so I was expecting something heavy on the plot, but there's none. It is probably one of the best book with moral and good message for children/teenager on how the Internet should be used wisely alongside with parents/adult supervision.

I liked this book because the main character is somewhat relatable. The idea that we are one way online and live our lives another way is very relevant. I also think that the idea of not knowing the struggles of another person's situation is important too. The lines between good/bad and right/wrong can blur when situations are not black and white. Great art and story.

This is a gorgeously illustrated graphic novel that touches on some very real issues. I devoured this graphic novel. The bright and colorful panels drew me in. The story itself was illuminating as it touches on the issue of cheating gaming systems by using a "farm" of people who work for low wages and in poor conditions.

Overall, this is a great graphic novel and I definitely recommend it.
I received this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Usually I need to fall in love with the art before I get involved with the story, when it comes to graphic novels. It's a good art, but it's not my type. So it was a bit difficult to cheer me up with the plot. The story is differentiated, since it criticizes and brings social issues. Lovers of games and graphic novels with critical plots will enjoy reading.

I like Doctorow's books. He usually has a message about the cyber world that is interesting and relevant for young people. However I was not a fan of the Hollywood ending.

Really interesting way to bring awareness to economic injustices in a truly relatable and relevant way. The illustrations are great and allow the reader to get a true sense of the story and its characters. Using video games as the medium for exploring this subject, as well as that of self validation and identification allows all avenues to be drawn to and interested in this work.

A great look into the world of gaming, and the lures it can lead to with a teenager...as well as the money side of online gaming industry. The lessons the young girl learned...and the strength she showed was great. I'd definitely like my girls to read this before they get into gaming...which they are heading toward.