In Real Life is all right, but I did find it to be a bit predictable. One would not write about a videogamer seeking glory if he does not find it. Also, by creating a hostile environment (two living quarters, the fighting parents, a rude brother, and a poor father-son relationship) the author really set up the average brooding teenage boy who hides himself away from the world to play video games and escape reality.
As well as his brother's playboy lifestyle, the reader can only assume Seth would find attraction and distraction in a girl. Foreshadowing is all right when done in moderation, but I believe this particular book holds too much. I also don't think the book will reach its intended audience because of the structure. In fact, I can't really tell who the audience is supposed to be. If the book is meant for gamer girls then I believe you have a hit, yet that is an extremely small audience. Given that it is a growing population, I find it hard to believe that the author only intended it for that particular audience.
For gamer boys I believe that, depending on their taste, not many would read it, and the ones who do probably wouldn't finish it. As for the rest of the teenage population, the author goes into too much depth of the actual video game. As a nongamer, most of the references to the game were confusing, and the pages spent on Seth sitting and playing had me tempted to put down the book and not come back. To be a true hit, I believe the author should have revised based on the audience he was trying to pinpoint and tweak the details to fit.
