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Role-Playing Games: The Hardcore Experience

There are many genres of video games, each providing a different style of play and a different experience, each appealing to a different kind of gamer. Some people who play video games enjoy multiple genres; some prefer only one or two. Some, such as the action and arcade genres, have mass-appeal, while others are more niche. And with today’s technology, games are as realistic as watching movies with the xvid codec software which makes them even more popular.

One genre that is most definitely a niche of sorts is the role-playing game, or “RPG” for short. It’s niche not because it offers a lesser (or necessarily greater) experience than the other types but rather because of the time and effort involved. Many of the most popular games today offer a relatively short experience – on average perhaps six to eight hours of play. Certainly this is longer than a movie, which is good because the game costs more to buy, but still a manageable time investment. A game that lasts twenty hours would be considered a long-haul (more bang for the buck in many gamers’ eyes).

For an RPG, twenty hours would be short. It is not uncommon for this type of game to offer as many as forty hours of game play, and that is for the average player who does not attempt to see and do everything. For the truly devoted player who wishes to enjoy everything the game has to offer, the experience may last some sixty hours and perhaps even as many as a hundred – or more!

Obviously such a game requires a huge investment, and not just time. Story is of paramount importance in the genre, and because the game has such a huge time-frame in which to work, the game can craft a truly compelling world, characters and plot in which the player may get lost. As such, the emotional payoff can be much greater than if one simply played through a six-hour experience. Hence the genre’s devoted following.

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Choose Your Battle System

While most Role-Playing Games (RPGs) fit into a recognizable mold, there are many different varieties, so that gamers may be a fan of one type of RPG but not the other. The most prominent difference lies in the system for doing battle with enemy creatures, or the battle system for short. There are two main types of battle system: turn-based and real-time.

The turn-based battle system typically means players select their battle commands from a series of menus. Generally they will see their party of characters on a field of battle opposed to a party of bad guys, and somewhere along the edge of the screen will be menus offering a variety of actions and some vital statistics. The player must consider elements such as their characters current health (usually represented as a gauge with a point value) and resources before making their decision, at which point they may order a character to perform a physical attack, cast a magical spell (using a limited pool of resource points), use an item for some effect, or engage some kind of defense. These are the most basic examples. Meanwhile the action freezes (for the most part) until the player has made the choices, then the villains and heroes take turns smacking each other. This makes for a strategic battle, not unlike chess.

Real-time battle systems offer an experience more akin to an action-focused game, but with the same emphasis on statistical and resource management. In this case there is no break between battle and exploration – when enemies appear there is no freeze in the action, and players must move their characters around, dodging and defending and choosing their actions in real time without the relative safety and patience of taking turns. This may be through button commands or its own set of menus but it is much more dependent on reflexes and pattern recognition.

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Leveling Unlevels the Playing Field.

It’s not always easy to explain just what exactly a role-playing game (RPG) is. Because there are different types with different mechanics, and because any interactive medium is inherently “role-playing,” there’s not a hard and fast answer. However, one of the fundamental concepts of any RPG is that of “leveling up”; this is certainly one of the ties that bind all RPGs together and what allows many other types of games to feature “RPG elements,” something more and more common these days.

Leveling, is not, in the end, a fantastic idea, being rooted in the real-world fact that people get better at doing things the more they do them. RPGs quantify the process. Even in this there is some variation in terms of execution, but for the most part characters in a video game have a certain level that indicates their general strength and proficiency at what they do (heroism, typically). They also gain experience points, a statistical representation of getting better and stronger with practice. After they earn enough points, they go up a level, with resultant improvements in statistics such as life force, magic resources, attack power, defensive ability, etc.

Just as in real life, if they keep doing the same thing (slaying a certain monster) they may get very good at it but they will get less and less experience each time, since they’re closer to mastery and the challenge is lesser. The only way to level effectively is to move on to more difficult tasks (monsters with more fangs). If the work required is significant, so will the experience reward be significant. At certain levels the characters may unlock new abilities, whether offensive or defensive or otherwise. One aspect of leveling for which RPGs are notorious is the “grind,” which means focusing for extended periods not on making progress in the story but rather on gaining levels in order to defeat a tough enemy.

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Preserve the Overworld!: The Three Parts of RPGs

Perhaps the most important and defining characteristic of the role-playing game is its emphasis on story-telling. While most video games make at least some pretense at telling a story (as long as the game is an adventure of some kind, there will be a plot), most expend little effort at it, allowing the “plot” such as it is to be merely a shallow and empty excuse for the game-play. That is okay. Not every game needs to be particularly smart, just as not every movie needs to be intelligent. There is a place for the popcorn games alongside the popcorn movies, and for every well thought-out science fiction first-person shooter there will always be seven or so other such games that say merely “There are the bad guys. Go kill them.”

Still, the greatest potential for games to make a case as works of art is in the stories they tell and how they tell them – there is little difference between playing a game and reading a book or watching a movie in terms of story-telling possibility. The interactivity adds a unique element but one that can be as rewarding as it is challenging. On the whole, RPGs rely heavily on story in a way that other genres do not. With their many hours of playtime and their expansive worlds and characters, RPGs offer a framework in which an epic story may more easily be conveyed.

As such, there is a heavy focus on characters, setting and plot in the best examples. The Final Fantasy series is one of the most popular names in role-playing games and it has a strong emphasis on sweeping, emotional melodrama with plots that would easily fit a film or book format, but also allow the audience a degree of control impossible in those other mediums. Some of the most ambitious titles tackle difficult subjects such as death, betrayal and even religion.

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What’s Your Story?

Perhaps the most important and defining characteristic of the role-playing game is its emphasis on story-telling. While most video games make at least some pretense at telling a story (as long as the game is an adventure of some kind, there will be a plot), most expend little effort at it, allowing the “plot” such as it is to be merely a shallow and empty excuse for the game-play. That is okay. Not every game needs to be particularly smart, just as not every movie needs to be intelligent. There is a place for the popcorn games alongside the popcorn movies, and for every well thought-out science fiction first-person shooter there will always be seven or so other such games that say merely “There are the bad guys. Go kill them.”

Still, the greatest potential for games to make a case as works of art is in the stories they tell and how they tell them – there is little difference between playing a game and reading a book or watching a movie in terms of story-telling possibility. The interactivity adds a unique element but one that can be as rewarding as it is challenging. On the whole, RPGs rely heavily on story in a way that other genres do not. With their many hours of playtime and their expansive worlds and characters, RPGs offer a framework in which an epic story may more easily be conveyed.

As such, there is a heavy focus on characters, setting and plot in the best examples. The Final Fantasy series is one of the most popular names in role-playing games and it has a strong emphasis on sweeping, emotional melodrama with plots that would easily fit a film or book format, but also allow the audience a degree of control impossible in those other mediums. Some of the most ambitious titles tackle difficult subjects such as death, betrayal and even religion.

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The Best Video Games You’ve Never Played: Part 4

If you’re a fan of the Fallout series of video games, and you’re in the mood to play a classic game, it may be worth your while to seek out a game that was published in the 80s called Wasteland. Published by Interplay, Wasteland was a role-playing game set in the post-apocalyptic future, in the aftermath of a devastating nuclear war. The player controlled a party of characters who had to solve puzzles, fight enemies, and gain experience.

Concept

When beginning the game, the player must create characters with varying statistics (e.g. strength, intelligence, etc.) and varying skills (like lock picking and marksmanship). These skills are particularly important as the game progresses, and many of them make it easier for the characters to accomplish certain tasks. The game is set in the desert, and the player’s characters walk from location to location, occasionally encountering foes along the way. These foes must be battled using a variety of weaponry that players find in the desert.

Plot

The plot revolves around survival, but the player must also solve various puzzles and use items to complete tasks. The game was sold with a manual that includes a series of passages that that the game directs the player to read at certain points. This manual also serves as copy protection since, without it, the player misses information crucial to solving some of the game’s puzzles. Many of the puzzles involve finding and using interesting technology, and most of this technology is fiercely guarded by “non-player” characters like a heavily armed brotherhood of monks.

Significance

Wasteland was lauded for its non-linear gameplay, interesting plot, and detailed non-player characters. Many gamers also remember it fondly for the arsenal of weaponry that could be used, and for the witty writing and challenging puzzles. It deserves a spot in any classic video game hall of fame.

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