[Someone Else]

It has come to my attention that a good 3/4 video games these days seem to be labeled as an RPG somewhere.

Actually, just kidding. This has been going on for forever. Some people seem to think that any game that involves leveling up in any name, shape, or form can be labeled within the RPG genre. (BioShock, to The Elder Scrolls series, to the Final Fantasy series)

On the other hand, depending on who you ask, some people might think that the (newer) GTA games are RPGs, and even a game like Legend of Zelda. These games don't really have any character stats in particular and instead rely on the player's skill, not so much the character's skill.

I could rant on quite a bit more, but if I do, this will end up being a sloppy essay rather than a topic intro. So, I'm going to state my opinion later. What do you think, what's an RPG to you, or what games do you think can be called an RPG?

[Platinum Sun]

I tend to think that a turn-base battle system signifies an RPG. My biggest classifier is that any game I don't suck at is an RPG. You said it pretty well. The less that reflexes, dexterity, coordination, sense of timing and general gamer skill factor into the gameplay the more RPG it is. I'm not saying they're dumbed-down games, just that they take more strategy and less tactile maneuvering.

It seems to me that more and more recently, games just require you to play them for thousands of hours and then you're good at them. I remember the oldies like the original Ninja Gaiden that only super-gamers were even marginal at, and it practically never got easier. I'm not sure how that factors in to RPG proliferation, but I felt it was worth mentioning.

[Blue]

A RPG is "Role playing game"
Wouldn't that mean that all games are RPGs, cuz your always playing a role?
xD

[Ironsight]

Wind Dude, on Aug 6 2008, 05:27 PM, said:

BioShock

I wouldn't call that game an RPG.

[Toasty]

I'd say a true RPG is one that involves leveling up, aquiring different items (weapons/armor for the most part), some kind of character development, and for the most part, gaining members in your party somewhere along the timline of the game.

Though really, you could also consider anything where you're playing as a character in a game that has a role, or a game where a plot develops an RPG. Like LoZ, Halo, or if you stretch it, even Super Mario. Though Link and Mario's main games are usually Adventure games, which are actually kind of similar to RPG's. The adventure genre and the RPG genre shouldn't be confused with eachother though. That's what I've been noticing.

[gsninja]

An RPG basically sets itself apart from other games because interaction with NPCs and choices you make within the game impact the story far, far more than any other type of game. Let's take Legend of Zelda and how some people classify it as an RPG. At any point in LoZ, do you notice that you're allowed to make certain choices and interactions that change the direction of the story? No. LoZ doesn't give you choices that are impactful enough to give new direction to the story.

Now, let's look at the battle system. Every RPG needs these basic things:
-Level-up system
-Basic statistics (HP, Attack, Defense, Speed, etc.)
-Movesets with techniques learned through gaining levels, grids, special encounters, and/or other ways.
-Ability to equip weapons, armor, etc.
-Enemy encounters that are actually initiated in some kind of way aside from them running after you (e.g. random encounters, Tales of-style encounters, etc.)
-Other things I'm too lazy to think about.

Then RPGs are made different by building on these things with other ideas. An RPG is an RPG mainly because of its superior depth in story, character development, and sometimes gameplay.

[Zeypher]

http://www.freewebs.com/linksocarinaoftime/tingle%20rpg.jpg

That is an RPG.

[Toasty]

That will make your eyes bleed, and your penis tear its way into your body and climb out your mouth.

[Zeypher]

It's actually a pretty fun game, despite Tingle being the protagonist.

[Someone Else]

Some people, like myself, think a real RPG is a game where the player actually makes choices himself for the story.

Actually, if you ask the right people, they'll tell you some WRPGs are more RPG than JRPGs like Final Fantasy. In Final Fantasy, no matter how many times you play the game, you're stuck in the same static storyline. You watch the characters solve problems by themselves in cutscenes with little to no interactivity from the player, aside from the inevitable battles.

This is why sandbox games like TES are considered RPGs as the player himself is free to do whatever HE wants, HE is the character. That's why some people think GTA is an RPG. GTA IV IIRC let's the player make choices in the storyline.

Not hating on JRPGs or anything. Just offering an alternate point of view.

[Split Infinity]

Platinum Sun, on Aug 7 2008, 10:47 AM, said:

I tend to think that a turn-base battle system signifies an RPG. My biggest classifier is that any game I don't suck at is an RPG. You said it pretty well. The less that reflexes, dexterity, coordination, sense of timing and general gamer skill factor into the gameplay the more RPG it is. I'm not saying they're dumbed-down games, just that they take more strategy and less tactile maneuvering.

Therefore, Advance Wars is an RPG.

Toasty, on Aug 7 2008, 01:39 PM, said:

I'd say a true RPG is one that involves leveling up, aquiring different items (weapons/armor for the most part), some kind of character development, and for the most part, gaining members in your party somewhere along the timline of the game.

Therefore, a first person shooter is an RPG.

GSNinja, on Aug 7 2008, 01:39 PM, said:

An RPG basically sets itself apart from other games because interaction with NPCs and choices you make within the game impact the story far, far more than any other type of game. Let's take Legend of Zelda and how some people classify it as an RPG. At any point in LoZ, do you notice that you're allowed to make certain choices and interactions that change the direction of the story? No. LoZ doesn't give you choices that are impactful enough to give new direction to the story.

Therefore, a JRPG is not an RPG.

Yeah...

[Drizzy Drake]

Zeypher, on Aug 6 2008, 11:56 PM, said:

It's actually a pretty fun game, despite Tingle being the protagonist.

Fanboy.

[Toasty]

Split Infinity, on Aug 6 2008, 11:19 PM, said:

Therefore, a first person shooter is an RPG.

That was kinda my point, if you didn't notice. Depending onhow you look at it, Halo 3's campaign mde could be considered an RPG since there is a plot, and you play as a character involved in said plot.

But personally, I wouldn't consider it an RPG.

[Zeypher]

Dipset, on Aug 7 2008, 12:27 AM, said:

Fanboy.

You're an idiot. You over use the word fanboy. Maybe it's actually a good game, like I said? Have you played it?

And you're a Sony fanboy. So shut the fuck up.

[Laharl]

the 'RPG elements' term that is slapped on just about everything these days usually just refers to some levelling up and a degree of character customization.

[Ronald]

A role-playing game (RPG; often roleplaying game) is a game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters and collaboratively create or follow stories. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines. Within the rules, players can improvise freely; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the games.

Role playing games are fundamentally different from most other types of games in that they stress social interaction and collaboration, whereas board games, card games, and sports emphasize competition. Like serials or novel sequences, these episodic games are often played in weekly sessions over a period of months or even years, although one session games are also common.

Role-playing games are a form of interactive and collaborative storytelling. Like novels or films, role-playing games appeal because they engage the imagination. Interactivity is the crucial difference between role-playing games and traditional fiction. Whereas a viewer of a television show is a passive observer, a player at a role-playing game makes choices that affect the story. Such role-playing games extend an older tradition of storytelling games where a small party of friends collaborate to create a story. Most role-playing games are conducted like radio drama: only the spoken component is acted, and players speak out of character to describe action and discuss game mechanics. The genre of role-playing games in which players do perform their characters' physical actions is known as live-action roleplaying games (LARP).

While simple forms of role-playing exist in traditional children's games such as "cops and robbers", "cowboys and Indians" and "playing house", role-playing games add a level of sophistication and persistence to this basic idea. Participants in a role-playing game will generate specific characters and an ongoing plot. A consistent system of rules and a more or less realistic campaign setting in games aids suspension of disbelief. The level of realism in games ranges from just enough internal consistency to set up a believable story or credible challenge up to full-blown simulations of real-world processes.

Video games incorporating settings and game mechanics found in role-playing games are referred to as computer role-playing games, or CRPGs. Due to the popularity of CRPGs, the terms "role-playing game" and "RPG" have both to some degree been co-opted by the video gaming industry; as a result, traditional non-digital pastimes of this sort are increasingly being referred to as "pen and paper" or "tabletop" role-playing games, though neither pen and paper nor a table are strictly necessary.

[gsninja]

Split Infinity, on Aug 6 2008, 11:19 PM, said:

Therefore, a JRPG is not an RPG.

Yeah...

I hope you don't actually believe that LoZ is a JRPG.

[Caael]

RPG is a the wrong term for games involving turn based battles and levelling up. As people have said, RPG pretty much covers all games because it means role playing game, and in all games you are forced to play a role. There should be a different term for RPGs to make it more specific.

[Drizzy Drake]

Zeypher, on Aug 7 2008, 06:02 AM, said:

You're an idiot. You over use the word fanboy. Maybe it's actually a good game, like I said? Have you played it?

And you're a Sony fanboy. So shut the fuck up.

Nope. I'm a Final Fantasy fanboy, not a Sony one. Get your facts straight nikkah.

[Kuchiyose]

AAaaa Dipset lives! Hello there!

[Drizzy Drake]

I pulled a Jesus.

[Legolastom]

Well I guess people calling games RPGs came from the fact that the early ones were had very similar concepts and traits to **** like DnD.

[Ironsight]

Dipset, on Aug 8 2008, 02:25 PM, said:

I pulled a Jesus.

So you're a zombie now?