Gamers

By Thomas K. Carpenter

Two points for brushing your teeth. Ten points for keeping your room tidy. Seventy-two points for the Bioeconomic Game Design pop quiz on the ride to school in your personal FunCar. Another thirty for making every hurdle in gym class.

Life is a game, unless you're not the one winning.

Gabby DeCorte, top student and reality-hacker extraordinaire, has been doing whatever it takes to keep her best friend, Zaela, from falling behind in LifeGame. Zaela has gifts of artistry that amaze Gabby, but none of those skills translate in LifeGame and with final exams coming up, they can't afford to waste a single minute. But when a mysterious group called the Frags contacts Gabby claiming to know what really happens to the losers of LifeGame, she must choose between winning and what she believes in.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Carpenter
• Release date: May 20, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458045355

Thomas K. Carpenter

Thomas K. Carpenter resides in Colorado with his wife Rachel. When he’s not busy writing his next book, he's out hiking or skiing or getting beat by his wife at cards. Visit him online at www.thomaskcarpenter.com, or sign up for his newsletter at https://www.subscribepage.com/trialsofmagic.

Book preview

Chapter One

The green sky loomed over the high school track like a bowl of pea soup upended. Even the few clouds resembled lumps of pea-sized material suspended in the thoroughly disgusting verdant broth.

Gabby ran around the track, glancing upward, cursing under her breath. Her best friend Zaela, elbowed her in the ribs.

Come on, our score is dropping, said Zaela.

Gabby checked her LifeScore, annoyingly waiting at the corner of her vision with only a quick leftward eye movement, ready to piss her off. The number had faded to red, indicating a downward trend.

Give me a sec, she muttered. Only need another minute.

A gaggle of the Evil Dolls, Gabby's name for them, not theirs, ran by the two girls laughing. Their digital skins made them resemble living dolls, complete with gaps where their joints would be and shiny dead hair. Even their clothing was stiff. Green numbers, indicating upward movement, floated over their heads.

See! cried Zaela. They’re three hundred above us! My father’s expecting me to be above rank by the end of the week.

Gabby ignored Zaela, who continued to complain about not having much more time before Final Raid. Gabby was comfortably above the probable line that would separate who would earn their Life Class and who got lesser, meaningless jobs. Jobs that didn't have a much responsibility, a title, or many benefits within LifeGame.

Her best friend, Zaela, unfortunately was not, and had been losing ground for the last three weeks. If Zaela failed to make the cut, Gabby would earn her Life Class alone and probably never see Zaela again.

Gabby was not going to let that happen.

The world hack slipped into the Sky.Net school file like she’d done it before, which in fact, she had. Last year she’d made it rain baby pigs during Spirit Day, even tricking everyone’s sense-web so they felt a slight impact, though she hadn’t gone so far as to make them squish. That would have been too gross. Instead, they bounced like those lame superballs her father always talked about. He was so last century.

Either way, the bouncing piglets had been hilarious. This time she was much more serious. She couldn’t let Zaela fail, no matter what it took.

—be able to get into the Bioeconomic Game Design program at Blizzard University.

When the sky turned to static, cries of surprise erupted across the track. The heads of all the girls running the track game bobbed up like gophers. Gabby wondered if any of them were expecting baby pigs.

It would take a while for the administrators at Neversoft High to counteract her exploit. Gabby counted silently under her breath while they ran.

Zaela squinted at Gabby. You did this didn’t you?

Gabby made non-committal noises while she continued to count backwards.

Three...two...one....

She steered her friend to the right side of the track as the sky crackled and changed to an ominous one full of bruised purple clouds seething with electricity. For a brief moment, she thought she saw a black owl flying through the clouds, but then it was gone. She hadn't programmed that into the exploit. Gabby shook her head, deciding it was just her imagination.

Get ready on my cue. Gabby rested her hand on Zaela’s arm so she could indicate when they would have to move.

When Administrator Bracket’s face appeared in the sky amid the threatening clouds, a confused sound came from her right.

Zaela raised an eyebrow. I was sure you were behind this.

Gabby shrugged. Just wait.

The face in the sky, which was actually only appearing on their personal eye-screens, just like their digital skins and most of the coverings for the landscape, barked out a command, as Administrator Bracket was prone to do.

"Attention LifeGamers! We’re adding a special bonus round to this game. We are upping the difficulty, so stay sharp!"

Gabby rolled her eyes. Even though this was a segment she’d spliced from a bonus round a few years ago, hearing it reminded her how lame Bracket was.

He was an old military guy that had grown up on the forward bases near the Southlands and they used an old version of LifeGame, so he read the scripts like he was berating a private. The key was that Bracket made the hack seem official, so everyone paid attention.

Obstacles popped up all over the track like bubbles. Hazy questions floated over each obstacle. The two girls neared a candy-striped pole suspended at the height of their ankles.

WHY WAS LIFEGAME™ INTRODUCED?

The floating words solidified as they neared, and as they jumped over the pole, the words kept pace.

That's so Mario! I studied that last week! Zaela squealed.

Of course, Gabby knew that. She'd told Zaela to study it, feigning that she'd heard it would be a pop-quiz, having already planned out the hack.

Because the Greater States of America was losing its competitive edge, answered Zaela.

The question disappeared into green sparkles, indicating a correct answer.

WHAT ARE THE THREE RULES OF LIFEGAME™?

Another easy one! Zaela hopped when she clapped, bringing a smile to Gabby's face.

The first rule is what can be gamed can be improved. The second rule is that everything can be a game and the last rule is to never look backwards because the past is a game that's already been decided.

Gabby smiled and veered to the right so she could answer her own questions. She'd programmed hers to be much harder than Zaela's. Cheat sniffers could tease out patterns in the data and Gabby had to be careful.

A fractal-recombination cube appeared in front of her, demanding a solution. Gabby knew the answer, since she'd programmed it, but purposely got the answer wrong, letting the cube explode into red sparkles.

Answering the question wrong served a double purpose. Those fractal cubes were advanced encryption problems that hackers had to frequently utilize. By answering it incorrectly, she'd keep her profile from ever looking like a hacker.

The next few questions were easier and Gabby dutifully answered them, smiling at the green sparkles exploding around her. The Evil Dolls, however, were a different situation.

Across the track, the gaggle of six girls were trying to leap horrid walls the color of cat puke that were at least half their height. While the walls only existed on their eye-screens, the ubiquitous sensor networks would know if a foot went through one. A failed jump meant a harder question and Gabby had given them near impossible ones.

There were so many red sparkles above the Evil Dolls it looked like an immersive of a dust storm on Mars. Zaela was rapidly catching up. By the end of class, she'd be well into the clear.

Gabby was feeling like she'd just scored a major happiness buff. When the Final Raid came next week, she would get them on the same team and they would win for sure. Then they could get away from the Evil Dolls, who had made their lives a living hell since the earliest ranks. It was all falling into place.

At least until Administrator Bracket's projection appeared next to her, majorly debuffing her happiness. He wore his usual pseudo-military skin, complete with his Administrator trophy badges pinned to his lapel.

Gabriella DeCorte. I need to see you in my office. Pronto.

Startled by Bracket's appearance, Gabby ran through the next obstacle, exploding it into red sparkles. What?

Bracket's already grim face, turned a slight more shade of grim. I have disturbing news about unauthorized hacking.

Then his projection winked out.

Gabby's stomach tightened into a face-screwing knot. Getting caught hacking would get her sent back a rank without enough time to catch back up and she wouldn't earn a Life Class.

Gabby left the track and slowly trudged to the lockers to change, feeling like Bracket had cast a massive soul-sucking DoT on her.

Chapter Two

The hallways teemed with students moving to their next class. Gabby wasn't sure why they still broke out their learning sessions into periods. A relic from previous times, she guessed.

A behemoth pushed through the crowd, ignoring the cries of protest as he steamrolled the hallway. Gabby thought about tagging him with a gorilla skin, but decided that hacking another student's personal file on the way to the Administrator's office wasn't a good idea.

A shadow of an owl flew across the ceiling. This time, Gabby was sure she saw it. As she turned to walk down the hall, she found herself confronted by a boy her age with eyes the color of ice-chips. She didn’t realize it was a projection until a couple of anime kids walked right through him.

He had dark, messy hair and his eyes seemed to penetrate past her digital skin. Gabby was frozen a few steps from him. About the time he opened his mouth to speak, the projection disappeared, leaving Gabby staring at an empty spot by the wall.

said a familiar voice in her head, distracting her from thoughts of the boy with the ice-chip eyes.

Gabby searched the crowds until she saw him. Dario. Her other best friend.

Dario had a skinny bluish mohawk and wore a black leather studded jacket and archaic jeans. His appearance wasn't so strange except that his clothes were real, unlike the other students that hid themselves in skins.

Where do you find that stuff? Gabby said when they met at the drinking fountain.

Dario smoothed his hands across his jacket. Likey? Black leather never goes out of style. He pointed to her hair. Didn't you wear that Shozichi skin last week? Or are platinum blonde pigtails in this week?

Gabby rolled her eyes and put her hand to the smooth area beneath the spiky area of his mohawk.

I hate when you shave the sides. I can see the neural actuator wires under your skin. Why can't you hide them with a little skin mod?

Dario flinched away. "Then I wouldn't be real. I think they look like spider webs on my skull. Adds to the effect."

A message floated into view from Administrator Bracket reminding her to come to his office.

What's wrong? Dario asked, sensing her sudden discomfort.

Gabby shook her head. I'll tell you later. She started pushing through the remnants of the crowd, toward Bracket's office. Between the hack, Bracket's summons, and the random boy's projection, her mind tumbled over itself.

The mind-text lacked the emotion of a real voice since it was converted thoughts sent through the networks as text and reconstituted on the listeners end, but she could hear his concern anyway.

she sent back.

The hallways were thinning as the transition timer counted toward zero. Gabby wouldn't lose points for being in the hall since she had a pass from Bracket. It was one time she'd prefer to be in class than wandering the halls.

Dario knew all about the hack since he'd helped her with a few sections of code. The two of them had been looking out for Zaela since they'd saved her from the Evil Dolls in the lower ranks.

she sent back.

She needed to concentrate during her visit to Bracket's office. She'd been very careful with the track hack, so even if he had proof, she could still get out of it if she didn't admit anything.

Lost in her thoughts, Gabby forgot to knock on the door to Bracket's office. The broad-shouldered Administrator was facing away from her, holding a BFG, and firing into a wide landscape behind him.

The back of his office appeared to be a nightmarish landscape, Gigeresque in its monochromatic rolling hills. Hideous bipedal creatures sprinted toward Bracket as he blew them to pieces with his BFG.

Bracket seemed to be gleefully engaged in his game until Gabby cleared her throat. He checked over his shoulder, letting one of the creatures approach dangerously close. As the creature leaped, the landscape disappeared and was replaced with a plain cream wall with a picture of dogs playing poker on it.

The BFG in his hands had disappeared as well and Bracket pointed to the chair across from his desk.

Thank you for coming, Ms. DeCorte.

Gabby was still glancing over Bracket's shoulder at the wall where the shooter game had been.

I like to keep my old marine score at a good level. Never know when they might need me again, said Bracket. Especially with things picking up on the Southlands front.

As long as Gabby had been alive, the GSA had been fighting the Southlands. Gabby rolled her eyes and took the seat as Bracket settled onto his. The Administrator clasped his hands together on the desk and sighed heavily.

The muscles in Bracket's jaw tightened and Gabby's stomach rolled in response. As she waited for him to speak, it seemed like the hair on Bracket's head bristled up like an angry dog.

The LifeGame Integrity Engineers have detected unauthorized access and modifications to your personal reality files, said Bracket.

Gabby wanted to rip her gaze away from Bracket's, but she knew that would give away her guilt. Instead, she willed herself to maintain an innocent and slightly curious face. She'd mastered this face after years of probing questions from her parents.

Yes. I can see you're perplexed as we are. When Bracket said this, Gabby nearly lost her practiced expression, because it implied he wasn't talking about her hack. Now she really was curious.

What files were modified? she asked.

Bracket sighed again, and she could tell he was visibly disturbed about something.

Ms. DeCorte. Have you seen anything strange recently? Unexpected reality intrusions? Projections of people you don't know appearing suddenly?

Visions of the boy and the owl's shadow returned to her suddenly. Gabby steeled her face so she wouldn't give anything away.

I see something came to mind, said Bracket. Now we're not interested in the pranks you students play on each other, minor hacks to personal files that turn someone's hair green, or give them a beard. We know about those and choose to ignore them. They're good practice for University, anyway.

Gabby let herself relax. Bracket wasn't interrogating her about the track hack. But her curiosity had risen to new heights. Someone had been hacking her personal files?

I haven't seen anything. Has someone been messing with my LifeScore?

Bracket shook his head. Oh, no. That's nearly impossible. The LGIE are foremost focused on maintaining untampered scores. If those could be messed with, then the whole system would collapse. How else could we know who deserved to be rewarded with more responsibility?

Gabby knew all too well about how difficult it was to modify a LifeScore. That's why her hacks focused on spoofing tests rather than the score itself.

So you haven't seen any reality intrusions?

No, Administrator Bracket. I sure haven't, said Gabby.

Bracket visibly attempted to soften his expression, but his muscles refused to oblige. Eventually, he gave up and just nodded his head.

Am I free to go? asked Gabby.

Yes, you may.

Gabby moved toward the door, expecting to hear the shooter game start up behind her, but when Bracket said her name, a cold shiver went up her back.

Ms. DeCorte.

She turned around slowly, expecting that the earlier conversation had been a ruse and now they were springing the trap on her. Gabby swallowed and faced Administrator Bracket, clutching her arms across her chest.

Administrator Bracket appeared to be conflicted, frowning in concentration. Then he seemed to make a decision.

Ms. DeCorte. You're a good LifeGamer. One of the tops in the region, in fact. Your TPS scores are off the charts. The book on you is that you're holding back on your true potential.

TPS scores? This was a new one on Gabby.

Thoughts per second. We get certain brain diagnostics from your neural actuator.

Bracket paused, letting his words sink in. Gabby wasn't sure what she was more surprised about: that they were watching how her brain worked, or that they thought she was holding back. She didn't think she was holding back.

So I'm going to tell you this because you may one day be running the system. So I feel I can trust you with this information, said Bracket.

Gabby nodded slowly, still wondering if all this was a trap somehow.

It seems certain elements outside of our society, called the Frags - their name, not ours - have been lurking around your personal files. We can't tell if they've modified anything, well, since we can't check them. But I should warn you.

Gabby put her hands on her hips. What do you mean messing with my personals?

The LGIE believe the Frags may have modified your files. Might be trying to influence your views on reality. Bracket paused again, clearly conflicted. They've requested that I ask you if they can verify your personals. They might be able to get authorization to do so without your permission, but they'd like to not make this a big deal.

"A big deal? My personal files are a huge deal. Gabby raised her voice louder than she intended, but she couldn't help it. My whole life is in those files. I don't want anyone snooping around in them just to find out if these so-called Frags have modified something. My virus protection is up to date, thank you."

Administrator Bracket waited until she had stopped, then smoothed his hand across his desk.

Given the nature of the LGIE's request, I'll forgive you for this outburst, this once. Please keep control of your emotions, Ms. DeCorte.

Gabby dropped her gaze and her shoulders slumped. I'm sorry, Administrator Bracket.

Well, the request is made. And it's clear from your response that you're not willing to give them access freely, said Bracket. So you can return to your Advanced Game Theory class.

Gabby had her hand on the doorknob when Bracket spoke again.

You might want to have a talk with your parents about this. I'm sure the LGIE will be contacting you soon and you'll want to know what your options are.

Gabby nodded and left his office. The hallways were dreadfully quiet. She wanted to turn on some mood music but she couldn't muster the thought to activate it. The silence suited her anyway.

Instead of going to class, she circled the hallways, kiting her bad mood so she wouldn't scream. When at last she'd dropped agro, she pinged Zaela and told her to meet outside school at the FunCar lot.

Their LifeScores were both above rank after the morning and she needed a sanity break, even if it cost them a few points. Plus the rest of afternoon had few opportunities to score.

There were opportunities to gain a few points where they were going, too. If they played their cards right. The hard part was going to be convincing Zaela. She hated the Library Museum.

Chapter Three

Gabby met Zaela at the edge of the school grounds. The school lawn appeared as a perfectly manicured green field with bushes shaped into

Reviews for Gamers

[flashlight_reader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This synopsis from Amazon does NOTHING for the book. Nothing. About 30 pages in to the book I realized I was reading something that reminded me of Scott Westerfield's Pretties series. I don't mean the story sounded familiar (because it didn't), but the creepy "Big-Brother-is-out-to-get-you" aspect felt similar-- which is a good thing.The idea of LifeGame is like a job placement test for aspiring University students. The highest scorers get the best jobs, while the others get lesser jobs. Except that's a complete lie. The winners do get top jobs, but the losers disappear forever. It's not certain whether or not they get killed or moved to some top secret facility, but they definitely disappear for good. Gabby didn't realize any of this was occurring until she meets a group of refugees/outcasts called Frags. This odd group of misfits teach her the truth about her altered reality, and the truth is haunting.The majority of this book is fast paced action. It starts off with a nice world building aspect so you can understand LifeGame and Gabby, but then it quickly gets to the heart of the plot. I was engrossed with the story line. The characters felt a little flat, with the exception of Gabby. You could tell she was conflicted about her choices and current situation. But since so much of the book was built around this team aspect, I would have liked to have known the others more. Especially Mouse and the Frags. Of course, I have a feeling that I will get that opportunity in the next book.One of my complaints with the book (and sci-fi in general) is some of the invented terminology. I still have no idea what "debuff" means. When I thought I had it figured out, I would see the word used in a different context that threw me for a loop. Of course, that's pretty minor in the grand scheme of a novel. There was also one scene with one of Gabby's dreams that seemed to pop out of nowhere. Again, this was probably just me. I read this book pretty late at night when my eyes wanted to close, but I refused to cooperate because I wanted to finish the book.If you're a fan of science fiction, you'll love this book. Especially if you like Scott Westerfield's Pretties series. If you're like me, and not a big fan of sci-fi (but you liked the Pretties), then you will also like this book. The action keeps the story alive and makes it hard to put down. Plus, the concept behind life being a live or die game is highly original, which makes the book all that much better.

[frankerrington · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review CopySome time ago, I was contacted by the author of Gamers, Thomas K. Carpenter, and was asked to read his book and provide a fair and honest review. I tend to worry when that happens. A few times it's lead to bad experiences and I'm not fond of giving any book a poor review. The good news is, I liked the story and will likely, at some point, get around to reading the other books in the trilogy, Frags and Coders.It did take me a while to find the time to read this, things just kept getting in the way, but I'm very happy I finally squeezed it in.In the not to distant future, LifeGame has become an all inclusive competition where scores separate those who will earn their Life Class and get into University and those who would get lesser, meaningless jobs. Jobs that don't have as much responsibility, a title, or many benefits within LifeGame.Some explanation about LifeGame from the text of the story..."Why was LifeGame introduced? Because the Greater States of America was losing it's competitive edge. The first rule is what can be gamed can be improved. The second rule is that everything can be a game and the last rule is to never look backwards because the past is a game that's already been decided."Gabby and Zaela are best friends and are getting ready for the upcoming Final Raid which will go a long way in determining who gets to go on to University. There are a lot of very imaginative peaks into the future in Gamers. For example, you don't drive, but there are "FunCar lots with hundreds of bubble shaped cars with four puffy tires." The cars would drive themselves while the occupants played games.Of course we soon learn, from a subversive group called the Frags, that there may be more sinister intentions behind the LifeGame and our heroine Gabby winds up right in the middle of the action.Gamers is what it is, a YA dystopian thriller that may not be as good as say, the Harry Potter series or The Hunger Games books, but it's certainly a completely entertaining entry into this particlar market and I would highly recommend the book for the younger audience or for any adult who enjoys this type of story. All three books in the trilogy are currently available in paperback and e-book from a number of online retailers. Gamers is actually available for FREE from Amazon.com, so you can check this one out before deciding to spend money on the other two books.

[reading_fox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Meh. Doesn't quite work. Sort of a cross between Uglies and MockingJay maybe. That sort of feel to it, but without quite any of the brilliance. I'm not sure why it didn't work well, but somehow it didn't feel that the world had been thought through properly, to many convenient coincidences that passed unexplained. ANd perhaps too short with a few themes left unexplored. The essential premise is that Gaby is at school in a dystopian future where the US has split apart. In her region life is lived with a constant overlay of graphical imagery, and everything is competition to earn Lifepoints. She's at school but doesn't actually go to classes as such, instead she plays educational games with and against her friends. Only of course she's totally MarySue with the highest Thoughts Per Second score ever known, (what? that is such a bizarre metric) and so she can ace all the games, and instead spends her time hacking them to allow her friend to make the cut. Her life starts to turn odd just as she's pulled off a particularly tricky hack, when her account is suspected of being altered by 'Frags' people who live outside the regulated LifeGame environment that is the only one she knows. There very existence comes as some surprise, although this is weakly and poorly conveyed. There's a random 'owl' floating around too that never gets explained. Anyway Gabby meets the Frags (no surprise there) and then only just makes it back for the end of year final 'game' - Fantasy Quest adventure. The characters are sort of ordinary school YA heroines, which justa bout works, the Frags are completely flat. The meta-gaming scenarios are probably the cleverest aspect, but even here it only really works for half the book or so. The pure game scenarios work quite well. The world backdrop isn't actually that unbelievable either, but for this story to work well, the interface between them needs to delicately and believably handled to he reader. And it just isn't.

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Gamers is one of two self-pubs I have on my list to read for Dystopian February. Though I'm generally skeptical of self-published books, Thomas K. Carpenter sent me a real review request, one where he'd looked up my name and read some of my work. I appreciate when the requesters have done their due diligence before contacting me, and his book actually fit within the broad swath of genres I enjoy, which happens surprisingly rarely.

Like a few other dystopian novels I've read, Gamers considers a society where life is like a video game, the average person a mere player moving about in an artificial reality. The construct is a fascinating one, which is no doubt the reason it's proved so popular with authors. What's cool about it, though, is that, even though I've read at least four books which used this basic premise, they all have been able to do unique things with it, because the landscape and functioning of the gaming world can vary so widely.

The gamers get points for everything they do, from taking tests to personal hygiene to leisure activities. These points add up to a Life Score, a number which determines your ranking and whether the person will be able to attend college. This is LifeGame, where people walk around collecting points like Mario collects little gold coins from his car in MarioKart.

What's really cool about Gamers are the layers of gaming. From within LifeGame, the players can enter another game. It makes me wonder where real life actually begins. There's a sort of Inception-like quality to it, in that there's no way to say where the game ends. Every aspect of your life can be peered into and affected by a hacker or coder. It's a really scary thought.

The first half of Gamers reads like a science fiction novel, setting up the world and establishing how LifeGame works. Once that's done, you learn the inevitable dark underbelly of the world. At about the midway point, there's a sort of genre change when, from within LifeGame, Gabby and the other students enter a game as their final test to determine whether they will get into college. The game has the feel of a high fantasy video game. I found both parts entertaining, and fast-paced.

The characters never really grabbed me, and do not develop all that much over the course of the novel. I do appreciate, though, the complex relationships between Zaela, Gabby, and Avony. They could have been a bit more deftly-handled, but I like that they're not black and white, and none of the girls is demonized or placed on a pedestal. No one in Gamers comes off as utterly perfect, which is a nice change from so many idealized YA heroines.

So far as the editing goes, I do think Gamers could benefit from a bit more editing. I noticed several errors, but they weren't on every page by any mean. The strangest errors were misspellings with double letters, like scrapping instead of scraping, chaffed instead of chafed, and gripped instead of griped.

Gamers is a quick, enjoyable, fast-paced dystopian read. I think it is best-suited perhaps for a younger teen, even middle grade, audience or for more reluctant readers. As of 2/12/13, the Kindle edition is free temporarily on Amazon, on sale from $5.99, so if you're curious there's no better time!

[jami_leigh · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Plot: 3 stars
Characters: 3 1/2 stars
Style: 3 stars
Pace: 4 stars

On one hand, other than a few minor typos, this book is very readable, if you know MMO terms. I...well, don't. I've never enjoyed them, and I kept having to stop and google them at first. It's rather heavy handed at a few points, and hits the standard dystopian tropes. But a light, easy read anyway.

[britt84 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting and entertaining story. Really enjoyed the game theory and programming mixed in with the story, though not all finds are entirely original.I've recently taken a course on gamification, so I was interested in this novel in which pretty much everything in life is gamified, and enjoyed reading it.Would be interested in reading the rest of the series.

[liz_s_24 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I battled with myself over whether to give this futuristic book 3 1/2 stars or 4 stars. I mean I thought the idea behind it was pretty cool. That's why I bought it, but I couldn't get into some of the slang. The whole book was like a roller coaster of me liking it and me not liking it. I liked most of the characters and the interactions with each other. I really felt like the book was rushed and could have been about 100 or so pages longer for world building. Which brings me to my next issue with this book. The beginning! I dont believe that i've read a book that started in the middle of the scene and then didnt really give an explanation before. All in all though I thought it was an intersting start to what could potentially be a fantastic series, right up there with the Uglies trilogy!!

[clovestoread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tron meets Scott Westerfeld's world of Uglies and has a blast!Most virtual gaming stories follow the same script: people's minds are hooked up to machines while their bodies lay still and useless (think Matrix or Total Recall). Carpenter takes things to a whole new level; like upgrading from Wii to Xbox Kinect kind of level. Sitting on your butt (getting strikes in bowling just by flicking your wrist) will get you nowhere in LifeGame...unless you count 'dead' as a place to get to. Guaranteed? Not quite. That's the problem. No one knows where the losers of LifeGame go and through a chaotic and thrilling course of events, our MC Gabby is determined to find out.Extremely creative and thoroughly entertaining, Gamers is a sure hit for science fiction and dystopian fans alike. With detailed world building and a steady pace, readers are able to immerse themselves in Carpenter's universe and hang on for the ride until the end...which is NOT the end. Thank goodness because I would not have been happy. That said, I very much recommend this book and have added the sequel, Frags, to my TBR pile. I usually do not recap or summarize a book since the authors/publishers have their own but reading some people's reviews, it seems the printed 'blurb' was not enough to pique their interest or that the story is very different than what is implied. For this reason, I have come up with a summary/blurb of my own, including a couple quotes and my two cents. Ahem:Gabby's world is earth with a virtual layer; everything you see may or may not be real. Confusing huh? Normally, the games painted over the objects that were already there. This one had painted over the whole world so she couldn't actually see what was there. Gabby had the sudden feeling that she was about to run into a wall and had to steel herself to take the next step. Thomas Carpenter. Gamers (Kindle Locations 1841-1843). Thomas Carpenter.Having the knowledge that you are blind doesn't make it any less unsettling. So what are they not seeing and why?Day and night, Gabby is subjected to endless games to defeat and earn points. Points determine a persons' intelligence and usefulness in society. The education system is specifically geared towards improving one's success in the games. "The first rule is what can be gamed can be improved. The second rule is that everything can be a game and the last rule is to never look backwards because the past is a game that's already been decided." Thomas Carpenter. Gamers (Kindle Locations 99-100). Thomas Carpenter.School is fueled by competition which makes for shallow and fake friendships. Having one true friend, Gabby will do anything to keep Zaela by her side; even if that means risking everything and hacking into the system to help Zaela stay ahead. After a suspicious and violating request is made by the LifeGame Integrity Engineers (LGIE), Gabby's dreams come to a halt. Enduring interrogations from the school Administrator and her parents, seeing a boy no one else can see, and following a group called the Frags into the unknown, Gabby doesn't know who to believe. As more characters are introduced, doubts of who to trust increase and panicked decisions are sure to be made. When Gabby and friends participate in the "Final Raid" to decide their future careers, she comes to realize that this is so much more than a game. If not played just right, Gabby wont get to live her dream life...or live at all. This is life. Welcome to the Gamers.That was it. Any thoughts? Well I like it ^.^ I won an e-copy of Gamers through the Library Thing giveaway and spoke my true thoughts...or wrote them...typed them...I posted (there we go!) an honest review. Thank you Mr.Carpenter!

[kristincedar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent! This book is so good. Set in a dystopian (my favourite) world, where life scores rule everything from jobs to schools to lives, Gabby is just trying to make it through high school. Gabby's goal is to make it through a "final exam" of sorts, while dealing with the understanding the world around her. Gamers is really really good.

[kalyssa_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received Gamers in return for an honest review as part of a giveaway from Librarything. Gabby lives in a world where her whole future hinges on her LifeScore. Society has advanced to the point that everyone can manipulate what the world looks like, example what they wear, what happens like falling pigs. Students who score high in the LifeGame move on to the University where they get the best jobs. While those who don't are sent to lesser jobs, but are really never heard from again. Gabby is a wiz when it comes to hacking into the system she helps boost her friend's score so she can hopefully move on to University. When Gabby learns that the Frags a rogue group who don't support the ways of the LifeGame. Gabby also learns that her TPS (thoughts per second) are ranked among the highest in the LifeGame. When she is confronted by the Frags who tell her they know what's really happening to those who don't pass the LifeGame and it's not lesser jobs. When Gabby is sent off on a final Raid teaming up with her former friend and now archenemy as well as three other students. The five of them head off into the cyber world to compete with the other teams and defeat the final raid boss. The challenges that her team faces will test every member as well as cause Gabby to question her loyalties. Will she defeat the raid boss and move on to the University or will be doomed to the life the Frags have hinted about. Gamers is a fast paced, cyber adventure in a world unlike any other I've read about. I found the concept for LifeGame exciting and reminded me of my World of Warcraft raiding days. I really liked the idea of being able to change the way objects like by using a different skin, it's very futuristic which I really enjoyed. Gabby is a great character she's easy to connect with and her friendship with Zaela brings out the humanity in here that many of her fellow students don't seem to have which makes it easy to like her. I found Gamers well written the story-line flows smooth making it an easy read for anyone teen to adult to enjoy. I overall really love the concept of the story, it's something I could see happening as more and more people are getting into computers, games who knows maybe one day I'll be able to change the skin on my fun car anytime soon. I had a hard time putting the book down it's such an interesting story and I'm still new to the whole Sci Fi genre so I stayed up super late reading just to know how it would end. I can't wait to read the next one because I really want to know what happens next to Gabby.

[pluto6490 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

OK so I had really mixed feelings about this book. At first I had a hard time getting into it and thought that I would not finish it, but a couple chapters in I didn't want to put it down. This is definatly a good book for teens, especially those who may have some gaming knowledge. I'm assuming this is book one of a seiris as I felt it ended very open, as if I wasn't finished reading.

[terriko_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Set in a future where students compete in LifeGame to get into the top slots at Blizzard University, Gamers posits a possible future version of kids competing for SAT stores in a high-pressure environment. Between that and the real game references, it builds a surprisingly believable setting in a world where countries are looking for the best minds to build their economic prosperity and find them through their gaming abilities. It's a clever future-vision and well-executed with a lot more depth and understanding of gamer psychology than I've seen in other stories with a similar premise.It is worth noting that this uses a lot of gamer jargon and references to a few older games. As a gamer myself, I found this added a lot to the history of the world and the feel of the importance of gaming in this culture. I suspect even non-gamers could figure much of it from context, but if you're a non-gamer and want to get a bit more depth, it may be worth googling a few unfamiliar names. Assuming you can put the book down long enough to do that -- it's quite the page turner!I quickly fell in love with main character Gabby and her desire to keep her friend Zaela at her side in university even though her friend exhibited "non-useful" artistic skills according to their counselors. It's hard to say more without spoiling the story, but I really loved Gabby's adventure and although I received this as part of a member giveaway, I'll be buying the rest of the series and recommending it to a bunch of my friends.

[abcarroll_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gamers gives a glimpse of a futuristic life, where everything is a computer game. A world where nothing is quite like it seems and the line between fantasy and reality is very blurred. Gabby and her friends struggle to find the truth about what happens to those that don't go on to University, a very well kept secret in her world. Finding the answer could ruin Gabby's future and endanger her life.Normally this genre isn't really my thing, but I really enjoyed the futuristic theme of this book and makes you wonder what the world might be like in the future.

[debsanswers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I won this through the members giveaway program. I thought this was very interesting and a good setup for the series. Good world-building and it ends up being about much more than the game. I plan on reading the rest of the series.

[scmerritt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as a free review copy with the only expectation that I write a review. I will be buying the rest of the series to find out what happens next....Very interesting story about Gabby a High School student in the future where everyone learns through game play. Everything can be a game being one of the rules of the time. Lifegame is the process in which everything you do is part of earning points toward entrance into college and a subsequent "good" job. The losers at the High School level are sent off to the "lesser" jobs in life. At least that is what everyone is told. Gabby is told something by a group of outcasts that shakes her world to the core. Is it true? We still don't know the real facts. This first story follows Gabby and her school friends and enemies through the end of their senior year culminating in the end of year "raid". A joint mission where groups of students follow a Dungeons and Dragons like mission shown through their lifelike visual interface to earn the final points in the Lifegame process although not everything is what it seems....Loved the story, need to know what happens next.

[sakinah_r_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As you may have guessed from the title, Gamers is about games. LifeGame to be exact. For Gabby, LifeGame was all about winning no matter what. But when Gabby discovers the ugly truth behind the games, everything changes.Gamers is filled with enough action and intrigue to keep fans of the genre interested. On a personal level, I found myself not caring for the characters in the story ( mainly Gabby, I didn't find her very likable ) and it took me a little while to wrap my head around all of the acronyms and the invented language. Personal issues aside Gamers kicks off the first part of the trilogy decently enough to keep you anxious for the sequel.

[debdebtig · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Gamers by Thomas K Carpenter is a book that truly catches your interest. I am both a gamer and into science fiction books so this was a perfect fit for me. The game is based in a future society where in order to get the good jobs and move up the ladder in life you have to gain points in the game that is life. Completing puzzles and games helps you along the path. The book had me on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what was going to happen next. The only thing that keeps me from giving this at least a 4 star review is the high number of grammatical errors and typos. If you can get past those you'll love this book. Disclaimer: This book was received in a LibraryThing giveaway.

[libstaff2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is a quick and relatively easy read. Decent YA Dystopian story with one part "The Running Man," one part "Hackers," and one part "Pretties." It does take a couple of chapters to adjust to the language, but it is more readable after that. There are some pretty good action scenes throughout. I am fascinated by the young blind Frag and wish the author went into detail a little more about her.. The characters are just intriguing enough to make it hard not to want to read any possible sequels. LT Member Giveaways

[regib_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When gaming is a way of life the most important thing isn't how you play the game but winning. So what happens to the losers? Gabby is top of her class and has been tweaking the system to keep her best friend with her. When Gabby is contacted by a group called the Frag she learns there are high stakes then just losing touch with her friend if she loses. My only issue with the story is the cliff hanger at the end, I'm not a patient person and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The concept behind this book is a great one. People are in LifeGame starting from birth. Everything they do earns them points, and only the top-ranked get to go on to University and the best jobs. This is decided in large part by the mysterious Final Raid.Gabby, the protagonist, is an expert hacker who has used her intelligence to keep her and her best friend high up in the rankings, but as her year's Final Raid approaches, she learns that the system in place is not all it seems to be, and the stakes are much higher than anyone imagined.I definitely enjoyed this book. The strong concept alone was enough to keep me interested, and the characters and backstory were really interesting as well. Once they were actually in the Final Raid, the more gamer-aspect of the book lost me a little, but I definitely want to know what happens next in this series.Edit | More