History Literature / You2013

[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Unrelated to]] ''Literature/You2015''.

''You'' is a 2013 novel by Austin Grossman (Author of ''Literature/SoonIWillBeInvincible'') about a fictionalized video game development company.

* UpToEleven: The WAFFLE engine. It was originally created by high-schoolers who were trying to program a video game for a school project. Later, teenagers at a computer summer-camp added all sorts of new features. It eventually evolved into something so powerful that nobody at the game studio itself is quite sure how it works after the guy who created it died. Yet, it still powers all of their games.

* PolygonCeiling: The shift from 2D games to 3D is proving difficult for Black Arts games, as it did for nearly everyone in the time period of the novel.

* DummiedOut: Several items from earlier Realms games are still lurking around unintentionally in later ones.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/you_rogue.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:If you think this cover art looks familiar, check out ''VideoGame/SuperbrothersSwordAndSworceryEP'' page.]]

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* DummiedOut: several items from earlier Realms games are still lurking around unintentionally in later ones.
* FictionalCounterpart: Realms of Gold is based on the RogueLike games of the 1980s. While graphically similar, the simulation engine running it was so ahead of its time that it powered games over a decade later.
* FirstPersonPerspective

* OneWordTitle

Russell quickly finds a serious bug in the core game engine, and his attempts to track it down involve both a recapitulation of the history of video games from the early 80s to the late 90s (mostly as re-imagnined through fictional Black Arts games) and contemplation of the troubled relationships between the original group of friends.

* InspiredBy: The relationship between Simon and Darren is very similar to that of ''Creator/JohnRomero'' and ''Creator/JohnCarmack''.

* ShownTheirWork: Austin Grossman has worked for ''Creator/LookingGlassStudios'', as well as ''Ion Storm'' and ''Crystal Dynamics''. He knows video game development.

* UpToEleven: The WAFFLE engine. It was originally created by high-schoolers who were trying to program a video game for a school project. Later, teenagers at a computer summer-camp added all sorts of new features. It eventually evolved into something so powerful that nobody at the game studio itself is quite sure how it works after the guy who created it died. Yet, it still powers all of their games.

* LordBritishPostulate: some of the games in the Realms series are based on ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'', and this trope is brought up.

* LordBritishPostulate: some of the games in the Realms series are based on ''Franchise/Ultima'', and this trope is brought up.

''You'' is a 2013 novel by Austin Grossman about a fictionalized video game development company.

* ShoutOut: In-universe, the Mournblade program is a shout out to the Elric Saga.

* SecondPersonNarration: While the story is told from FirstPersonPerspective, Russell, the narrator, has a habit of dipping into this when discussing his gaming experiences and describing games in general. In fact, his use of the word "you" could be considered a TitleDrop.