Credge
05-31-2008, 03:26 AM
Or rather, I'm going to bitch about people having a hard time classifying games because they are butt-hurt that what they think an RPG is is all that RPGs are.
The majority of genres of games are actually RPGs. Any game where you, a player, play a character, you are playing an RPG. The player does need a myriad of choices, multiple levels of good and bad, etc. All that needs to exist are:
1. A main character.
2. A story.
That is it. If there is a main character and a story, it is an RPG. Very. Simple.
This is the very basic definition of an RPG.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game
http://www.answers.com/topic/role-playing-game?cat=technology
If you want to argue with this fact, you can take it up with wikipedia. I have layed down the definitions for the discussion and if you have beef with it, take it up with them.
The definition, of course, is really fucking obvious and self explanatory and shouldn't be debated at all.
So, why do people get confused with this? Because they want to feel like if they don't have complete control over every aspect of their character, such as an infinite scope of good, evil, and everything in between then they aren't playing an RPG. The problem with this, though, is that it doesn't even fit with the entire premise of a role playing game.
Role playing games are not about the choices you make, but how you make them. It shouldn't matter if there are only three choices (good, bad, and neutral) to a situation. Do you really think it's going to matter if you say "No, I'm not going to give you my money" and "DIE YOU VILLAINOUS THIEF!"? The outcome will be exactly the same... the thief will mug you.
In D&D, you are, usually, following a plot that is written in a book somewhere. This, in the exact same sense, is exactly like playing a game like Final Fantasy. It matters not if you cast magic missile into the darkness or if you rush into the caverns of Kltuch'ka shouting your name at the top of your lungs. The fact that you are playing a character in a story is all that is required.
It is also very true that some FPS games are RPGs as well. An example of such a game is Half-Life.
Two questions to be asked.
1. Who is the main character of Half-Life?
2. What is the plot of Half-Life?
*SHOCK*
*GASP*
*HORROR*
IT FITS THE CRITERIA! AMAZING! What a fucking shocker.
The reason for this, though, is because the definition of RPG is broader than my asshole. This is why I can easily say that the majority of games are, in fact, role playing games because they fit the bill! This is why, when talking about games, we use subgenres to define them.
FPSRPG
ActionRPG
StrategyRPG
MMORPG
E.T.C.
Generally, though, a game is only considered an RPG (in todays gaming market) if the following exist:
1. Stats
2. Levels
3. Inventory
If the game only has one of these, they are considered to have RPG elements. Sadly, these are not actually RPG elements at all. They are, however, what people have grown to know as what defines RPG.
So, yes, FF:T is a fucking RPG. You play as a nearly-fully customizable character (the only thing you can't customize is his gender and appearance) that follows the incredibly deep plot of the Lion War.
If you actually think that role playing games are an incredibly narrow genre then you are sadly mistaken. You goshdarned cunts.
P.S. Fuck.
The majority of genres of games are actually RPGs. Any game where you, a player, play a character, you are playing an RPG. The player does need a myriad of choices, multiple levels of good and bad, etc. All that needs to exist are:
1. A main character.
2. A story.
That is it. If there is a main character and a story, it is an RPG. Very. Simple.
This is the very basic definition of an RPG.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game
http://www.answers.com/topic/role-playing-game?cat=technology
If you want to argue with this fact, you can take it up with wikipedia. I have layed down the definitions for the discussion and if you have beef with it, take it up with them.
The definition, of course, is really fucking obvious and self explanatory and shouldn't be debated at all.
So, why do people get confused with this? Because they want to feel like if they don't have complete control over every aspect of their character, such as an infinite scope of good, evil, and everything in between then they aren't playing an RPG. The problem with this, though, is that it doesn't even fit with the entire premise of a role playing game.
Role playing games are not about the choices you make, but how you make them. It shouldn't matter if there are only three choices (good, bad, and neutral) to a situation. Do you really think it's going to matter if you say "No, I'm not going to give you my money" and "DIE YOU VILLAINOUS THIEF!"? The outcome will be exactly the same... the thief will mug you.
In D&D, you are, usually, following a plot that is written in a book somewhere. This, in the exact same sense, is exactly like playing a game like Final Fantasy. It matters not if you cast magic missile into the darkness or if you rush into the caverns of Kltuch'ka shouting your name at the top of your lungs. The fact that you are playing a character in a story is all that is required.
It is also very true that some FPS games are RPGs as well. An example of such a game is Half-Life.
Two questions to be asked.
1. Who is the main character of Half-Life?
2. What is the plot of Half-Life?
*SHOCK*
*GASP*
*HORROR*
IT FITS THE CRITERIA! AMAZING! What a fucking shocker.
The reason for this, though, is because the definition of RPG is broader than my asshole. This is why I can easily say that the majority of games are, in fact, role playing games because they fit the bill! This is why, when talking about games, we use subgenres to define them.
FPSRPG
ActionRPG
StrategyRPG
MMORPG
E.T.C.
Generally, though, a game is only considered an RPG (in todays gaming market) if the following exist:
1. Stats
2. Levels
3. Inventory
If the game only has one of these, they are considered to have RPG elements. Sadly, these are not actually RPG elements at all. They are, however, what people have grown to know as what defines RPG.
So, yes, FF:T is a fucking RPG. You play as a nearly-fully customizable character (the only thing you can't customize is his gender and appearance) that follows the incredibly deep plot of the Lion War.
If you actually think that role playing games are an incredibly narrow genre then you are sadly mistaken. You goshdarned cunts.
P.S. Fuck.