Think someone could help explain "Isekai" to me?

[FGC_Checkmate]

I'm looking to work on something in between updates of Lethal Combo: https://tapas.io/series/Lethal-Combo/info

I know every story is different and there is nothing set in stone about the rules of Isekai, but I did have some general questions and I was wondering if some fans of the genre could help answer them.

1.) What's the general appeal? What makes somebody waking up in the world different from them living in that world innately?
2.) How much is the main character's home world brought up? Is the fact they miss their old life essential to the character? Is their main goal often to get back to their original world?
These next questions focus mostly on video game related stories.
1.) Are the other characters aware that they're in a game? Do characters understand the difference between NPCs and player characters?
2.) How crucial is video game logic to the world? Since games typically don't end if you die, is the threat of death often relevant? Or does death work like in the real world (when you die you don't respawn)?
3.) Are the other characters typically other players? Do they have their backstories within the game's lore or is it with the player behind the character?

I know it's a lot of questions, but I'd appreciate any and all answers that help me get an idea of how I should approach my next project.

[lumisullivan]

Idk if this helps that much but you should keep 8n mind that isekai essentially means reincarnated, basically dying in one world and being born in another (generally better one)

1) Simple, escapism, like a lot of other media and entertainment.

2) Generally not a lot of info. It's cliché for the MC to hate their old life and therefore they don't mind getting isekaid

I don't read video game related isekais so I can't help u with those questions

[HGohwell]

1.) What's the general appeal? What makes somebody waking up in the world different from them living in that world innately?

99% escapism, plain and simple.

2.) How much is the main character's home world brought up? Is the fact they miss their old life essential to the character? Is their main goal often to get back to their original world?

Varies massively depending on the flavour if isekai. Harem isekai very rarely seems to bring it up, in more "realistic" isekai it can be the entire goal, and well, if you were unlucky enough to be transported via Truck-kun or similar, it's usual not an option.

1.) Are the other characters aware that they're in a game? Do characters understand the difference between NPCs and player characters?

Again, depends massively on how seriously you're taking it. Comedy is more likely to be self aware, serious stuff is more likely to be a fully fleshed out world that just happens to be a game to us.

2.) How crucial is video game logic to the world? Since games typically don't end if you die, is the threat of death often relevant? Or does death work like in the real world (when you die you don't respawn)?

Even the ones that do rely on a game logic don't tend to have every good mechanics. Dying is hit or miss depending on the tone. Some take dying and respawning as a horrifying of traumatic deaths that you feel and remember and get to live with the trauma of, I've seen one or two ignore it completely and take the "you fainted" route. And some you die for real.

3.) Are the other characters typically other players? Do they have their backstories within the game's lore or is it with the player behind the character?

Another one that varies massively. Sometimes it will be all the players of the game at a certain time, sometimes it's just the protagonist or one or two or a group, depends on how special you want your main character to be.

Mother's Basement on youtube does a lot on isekai ins and outs and is a pretty good place to go for research on the many different types.

[FGC_Checkmate]

Thank you so much for the reply! This is exactly what I was looking for.

[mima_sighs]

pretty sure that everyone before me already replied succinctly to your questions but I figured giving my two centavos on the situation wouldn't hurt. (Also cause I'm drafting an Isekai Novel rn and thought this thread was reading my mind haha.)

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1.) What's the general appeal? What makes somebody waking up in the world different from them living in that world innately?

For me, it's the situation of the MC being in a new world completely separate from their own. (I also like MCs who bring 'our' world knowledge into the other worlds'.

2.) How much is the main character's home world brought up? Is the fact they miss their old life essential to the character? Is their main goal often to get back to their original world?

Usually, MCs hate their original world, that's the main cliche of an Isekai though there are some others where they do want to go back home and that's the main drive of the story. Like The Devil is a Part-timer.
In most cases they end up loving the new world and want to stay.

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I know that you're looking for Video Game related answers but I'm not into JRPG Isekai Games (and the few western ones out there) so I'll base my answers on anime/manga that feature Video Games and Gaming as the focus of my answers and references.

1.) Are the other characters aware that they're in a game? Do characters understand the difference between NPCs and player characters?

Are you going for a self-aware Isekai? Like what SAO (anime) did with one of their 'NPC' character? Most Video games that I know of that have a 'breaking the 4th wall' concept aren't Isekai but really it just depends on whether you want to be the 'Scream' of Isekai - A.K.A metacommentary of Isekai or just use Isekai tropes in a story.

3.) Are the other characters typically other players? Do they have their backstories within the game's lore or is it with the player behind the character?

I remember reading a Taiwanese Manhua, the title was 1/2 Prince I think and they had the concept of NPCs being real-life characters who had their memory wiped/dead/comatose. Though I might be misremembering that. There's also Overlord where the NPCs are created by other characters and their backstories are from their creators.

For an actual Isekai game, there is Genshin Impact, however, the MC you play as doesn't reveal any backstory about themselves which -granted can make sense due to the MC being technically the player (a.k.a. us) We can switch between other characters in-game but 'canonically' we are playing/fighting/exploring as the MC and their companion only.