Test Environment

By: Xavier P. Hunter

Narrated by: Mikael Naramore

If you can't beat the computers, BE the computer.

Freshly unemployed gamer Arnold O'Connor is short on cash and facing eviction. When an indie game developer advertises looking for participants in a brain study to help revolutionize enemy AI, he's not thinking about the benefits to his hobby, just his bank account.

But things get weird once the trials start. Neuroscientists monitor his brain waves as Connor performs a variety of tasks, culminating in venturing into a testing version of the very game they're hoping to develop. The tests mess with his sense of reality, seeing things he can't touch and deafened to some sounds but not others. The game world operates on the same principles, forcing Arnold to wonder whether he's inside the game or just playing it.

The only way to find out for sure is to reach the end victorious!

Test Environment is the first book in the Pixelate series. Pixelate is a LitRPG fantasy series that follows the adventures of Arnold O'Connor as his digital self, delving into the secrets of a world that feels as real as his own body. The Pixelate series will appeal to fans of classic tabletop RPGs, World of Warcraft, and Lord of the Rings Online. It touches on themes of self and reality, style vs. stats, and how to kill dragons through the superior application of math.

It's a book you won't be able to log out of! Grab a copy and try for yourself.

©2023 Xavier P. Hunter (P)2024 Xavier P. Hunter

A Good New Lit-RPG debut

Surprised to see this had no reviews at first, I took a chance on it. I’m very glad I did, as it was an entertaining, well-performed, and engaging story overall. It reads like a DnD one-shot through the lens of what I assume is the average demographic of this genre. I think many will find it relateable, comical, engaging, and entertaining. Worth the listen!

A bit boring

First off, the narration was super annoying with all the screaming he did. Every single time he performed a particular attack he would scream at the top of his lungs. That’s not the type of thing you want to hear during an audiobook. There were times where he would scream over and over and over again in a row performing this attack, and as I stated was very annoying.

as far as the story goes, it’s really quite boring and all over the place. The main character is really nothing but a person who likes to cheat and find exploits in games. Then you have the weird romantic aspect of it, which is just bizarre. When I say, romantic aspect, I use this term very loosely, as none of the characters can speak to one another. When the main character and one of the female characters are trying to betray each other, they spend the time making out and almost have sex at one point in the game. Really can’t overstate how all over the place this story was.

I would definitely not recommend this book and won’t be continuing on in the series.