Afterword
THANK YOU FOR reading When a Clueless First-Person Shooter Player Falls into Another World. I am JIRAIGEN, the author. This book is a revised and expanded version of a work I posted on the novel submission site Shousetsuka ni Narou. It has since been polished up to be published as a proper book.
As a new author, I pondered what to write in the afterword. Perhaps I should share what inspired me to start writing novels in the first place. I love FPS games. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I think the first title I played was the demo version of Unreal Tournament. The thrill of controlling a character with the mouse and keyboard, the exhilaration, the sense of achievement, and the instant gratification of character improvement captivated me immediately.
From there, I played various multiplayer FPS titles like the Battlefield and Counter-Strike series. I ignored single-player FPS games like Medal of Honor and Halo and focused solely on competitive play. I played FPS titles on PC, and, with the development of home consoles, I also started playing Call of Duty. I would eagerly await new FPS titles releases every holiday season. However, in the fall of 2014, I was disappointed by the updated version content of a certain title released. During the two months waiting for another title to be released in the spring of 2015, I experienced a turning point.
In 2011, after buying a certain book for its cover and becoming engrossed in it, I learned it was serialized online. This was how I discovered Shousetsuka ni Narou, a website where users can submit their own stories. At the time, I read only that particular work, being eager to read more of the story, and didn’t explore other works.
I don’t remember what I read next. Craving something to read during work breaks, I searched for more stories on Shousetsuka ni Narou and began reading again without creating an account around the end of summer 2014. I never looked at the rankings and chose works through detailed searches. Later, I would laugh once I realized I had read almost all of the top-ranked works.
When I ran out of things to read, I thought, “If there’s nothing to read, then I guess I’ll write.”
That’s how I started writing this work. I had never written a novel before, nor studied the craft, but I typed away on the keyboard. I poured my love for FPS into it, and realized a world of guns, swords, magic, FPS, and fantasy. If any of that came across in this work, if even a little, then I am truly delighted.
Since starting the serialization, many people have read it, offering kind words, encouragement, and constructive criticism, which I absorbed as a study in writing. When I first received an offer for publication, I worried about balancing it with my main job. I initially declined but continued to ponder the possibilities. When approached again, I reached out to established authors for advice, no matter how impertinent that may have been to come from me, a nobody. Thank you, S-sensei and others.
At the same time, I received an offer for a manga adaptation. While I had a salaried day job, I saw 2015 as the year of my new start as a working adult and decided to pursue publication.
Thank you, H and K, for your kind offers. I am deeply grateful to the Kadokawa BOOKS editorial team and W, who worked with me. I cannot thank enough UGUME, the illustrator, who brought these wonderful characters to life from my clumsy writing.
Most importantly, I want to thank everyone who picked up this book. Thank you very much!
—JIRAIGEN