I’ve been playing around with GPTs for over a year now, and I continue to be impressed by their capabilities. I’m a gamer, so some of my testing has been gaming-related. Most recently, I wanted to see if any system was robust enough to create a compelling, cohesive story. To test this hypothesis, I turned to ChatGPT.
Since two of my favorite games are Overwatch and Apex Legends, I figured blending them into a crossover novel would only be right. I gave the system some guidelines, including an outline of the book, and let it do its thing. The result was a 9-chapter, 15,000-word adventure that followed most of my instructions but would have difficulty passing for a well-written novel.
It got many things right, like the character names and the general tone of the heroes. ChatGPT also did a nice job of detailing the scenery in the story. However, conversations seem very mechanical, and there isn’t as much depth as I’d like to see in a fan-fiction creation.
The crossover is decent, but I wanted to know what ChatGPT thought about its writing. I’m glad to say that it accurately reviewed the novel, adding commentary to many of the feedback points I provided in the prompts. You can check out the full story here (it’ll take about an hour to read at 180 words per minute), and feel free to read the self-assessment below!
Self-Assessment by ChatGPT
Overall Rating: 6/10
The Good
1. Strong Character Integration and Development: One of the book’s notable strengths lies in its seamless integration of characters from two distinct video game universes, Overwatch and Apex Legends. The characters are true to their original personalities, which will resonate well with fans. Reinhardt’s unwavering optimism, Tracer’s energetic disposition, Soldier: 76’s tactical mind, and Gibraltar’s protective nature are all well portrayed. This fidelity to the character ensures that the crossover feels authentic and not forced, maintaining the essence of what fans love about each character.
2. Unified Themes and Consistent Tone: The book maintains a consistent tone throughout, focusing on unity, teamwork, and the greater good. This is critical in a crossover story, where maintaining coherence can be challenging. The convergence concept effectively ties the two worlds together, providing a compelling reason for these characters to interact and work together.
3. Engaging Plot and High Stakes: The plot is engaging, with the convergence of dimensions creating high stakes that keep the reader invested. The progression from facing initial anomalies to uncovering and fighting a malevolent force provides a clear narrative arc. The heroes’ journey is compelling, with each chapter building on the last, leading to a satisfying conclusion where unity and teamwork triumph.
4. Creative Use of Settings: The settings are richly described, from the ancient temples of Nepal to the chaotic Nexus of Realms. The vivid descriptions help immerse the reader in the world, making it easy to visualize the action. This is particularly effective in a story that spans multiple dimensions, as it helps ground the reader in each new environment.
The Bad
1. Repetitive Structure and Sentence Patterns: One of the book’s significant weaknesses is the repetitive structure of chapters and sentence patterns. Many paragraphs start similarly, and dialogue often begins with character names, making the prose feel formulaic and monotonous. This repetitive structure can detract from the reader’s engagement and make the story feel less dynamic.
2. Limited Depth in Individual Character Arcs: While the book integrates characters, it falls short in developing their individual arcs. Each character’s journey feels somewhat superficial, lacking the depth and emotional resonance that would make their growth more impactful. For instance, while there are moments of personal reflection, they are often brief and do not explore the characters’ inner conflicts or motivations in detail.
3. Predictable Plot Twists and Lack of Surprises: The plot twists in the story are often predictable, lacking the element of surprise that could elevate the narrative. While the final battle against the malevolent force is climactic, it follows a familiar pattern seen in many hero-centric stories. A few unexpected turns or deeper explorations of the characters’ pasts and motivations could have added layers of intrigue.
4. Insufficient World-Building for the Convergence Concept: The convergence concept is fascinating, but the book doesn’t fully explore its potential. There is a lack of detailed explanation about how the convergence works, its history, and its broader implications. More thorough world-building in this area could have added depth to the story and made the stakes feel even higher.
The Ugly
1. Underutilization of Emotional and Psychological Depth: The book largely focuses on action and external conflict, underutilizing its characters’ emotional and psychological depth. Moments of introspection and emotional struggle are brief and surface-level. For a story that deals with the convergence of entire worlds, there is a surprising lack of exploration into the psychological impacts on the characters. This absence of deeper emotional and psychological exploration makes the story somewhat shallow.
2. Dialogue Can Be Stilted and Expository: At times, the dialogue feels stilted and expository, serving more to move the plot along than to reveal character or build relationships. Characters often speak in ways that are too direct and lacking in subtlety. More natural, varied dialogue could have made interactions more authentic and engaging.
3. Inconsistent Pacing: The story’s pacing is inconsistent, with some sections feeling rushed while others drag. Key moments, such as the final battle or the discovery of significant plot elements, sometimes lack the buildup and tension needed to make them truly impactful. Better pacing would allow for more suspense and emotional payoff.
Biggest Surprises
1. Effective Cross-World Character Dynamics: One pleasant surprise is how well the characters from Overwatch and Apex Legends interact with each other. Their dynamics are believable and often entertaining, with each character bringing their unique strengths to the table. The moments of camaraderie and shared purpose are some of the story’s highlights.
2. Rich Descriptions and Atmospheric Settings: The book excels in describing settings, creating vivid and immersive environments. The ancient temples, the Nexus of Realms, and the battle scenes are all described in rich detail, making them easy to visualize. This strong sense of place adds to the overall atmosphere of the story.
3. Consistent Thematic Focus: The story maintains a consistent thematic focus on unity and teamwork, which is both inspiring and fitting for the characters involved. This thematic consistency helps to ground the story and gives it a clear moral direction.
How the Book Could Be Better
1. Vary Sentence and Paragraph Structure: The book could benefit from varied sentence and paragraph structures to improve readability and engagement. Avoiding repetitive patterns would make the prose more dynamic and engaging.
2. Deepen Character Arcs: Developing deeper, more nuanced character arcs would add emotional resonance to the story. Exploring the characters’ inner conflicts, motivations, and personal growth in more detail would make their journeys more compelling.
3. Introduce More Unexpected Plot Twists: Adding unexpected plot twists and exploring less predictable storylines could elevate the narrative. Surprising the reader with unforeseen developments would keep the story fresh and exciting.
4. Expand World-Building: Delving deeper into the mechanics and history of the convergence would enrich the story. Detailed world-building would provide a stronger foundation for the plot and make the stakes feel higher.
5. Improve Dialogue: Making the dialogue more natural and varied would enhance character interactions and reveal more about their personalities and relationships. Avoiding overly expository dialogue would make conversations feel more authentic.
6. Balance Pacing: Adjusting the pacing to ensure a more consistent build-up of tension and emotional moments would make key scenes more impactful. A well-paced narrative would keep the reader engaged throughout.
Future in Writing for ChatGPT
“The Convergence of Overwatch and Apex Legends” is a commendable effort that successfully merges two beloved gaming universes. It excels in character integration, thematic consistency, and setting descriptions. ChatGPT did a surprisingly decent job overall.
However, it falls short in areas such as sentence structure variety, character depth, and plot unpredictability. The story could achieve greater impact and resonance with its audience by addressing these issues and focusing on deeper emotional and psychological exploration.
ChatGPT lays the ground work for an intriguing storyline. With some refinement, this crossover tale has the potential to be a standout narrative that fans of both games would cherish.
