Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One was so clever, quick, and packed full of ’80s references that—dare we say it—some people like it even better than The Hunger Games. The dystopian tale of Wade, a gamer on a quest to find an invaluable Easter egg in the virtual reality most of the world lives in most of the time, read like a video game itself.

Cline’s second novel, Armada, was just released, and it’s one of the most anticipated YA books of the summer. So, go put it on hold, and then come back and check out five other gamer books.

Reamde by Neal Stephenson
T’Rain—the world-wide, popular MMORG at the center of Stephenson’s crazy romp—sparked a computer virus that, in turn, sparked a diplomatic crisis threatening the entire globe.

For the Win by Cory Doctorow
In Doctorow’s version of the future, armies of teens work for pennies in terrible conditions inside gigantic, all-pervasive MMORGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing game). What happens when they decide to band together and unionize?

Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
It’s not exactly a video game, but the Digital School all students must attend in 2060—when it’s too dangerous for teens to leave their houses—is the ultimate virtual reality, and Maddie’s father invented it. But when she ventures into the physical world, Maddie recognizes the price everyone pays for living online.

Deadly Pink by Vivian Vande Velde
Grace’s older sister abandons the real world and disappears into the sparkly virtual reality of a princess video game—and Grace goes in after her.

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
MMORGS lead 14-year-old Tom straight to World War III in this fast-paced thriller about real-life technology springing from the virtual world.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your picks! Leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend.