Secrets of an amazing RPG
Role-playing games are a very specific type of game that require far more attention to detail than other, less immersive genres. When the computerized version of the genre came along, many money-hungry companies decided to jump into the genre without really understanding what the crucial elements of an RPG are. In some cases, these companies have actually had the audacity to buy out smaller companies that were knowledgeable about the genre, thus destroying long-standing legacies of great traditional games.
Given that this could have implications for the future of computer-based role-playing games, I think it’s important to educate these gaming giants to help them understand the one thing that matters to them. To sell role-playing games you need an audience willing to buy the product, and when a company keeps releasing questionable shooters under the guise of seeming role-playing games, it only destroys its reputation and goes bankrupt . I know the word “bankrupt” is a word these money-hungry corporations know , so I’ll make a point: try to sell shady shooters to RPG fans and you’ll go bankrupt!
Personally, I’ve been a roleplayer for about thirty years and have only fallen in love with two systems that I probably can’t name due to article writing guidelines. What I can say is that very few game companies have come anywhere close to providing the pen and paper versions of the best RPGs out there that people actually enjoy playing. I have to say that I was excited when RPGs became computerized because it meant I could do my RPGs without having to look for people with similar preferences, and while some games have turned into great RPGs, they are but unfortunately very rarely. With that in mind, of the role-playing styles that include pen and paper games, computer games, and online games, there is only one type that can meet the fully immersive needs of a role-playing player, and I’ll reveal why later.
Okay, then what are the elements of a great RPG?
I’ll give you one at a time, but the number one piece of advice to keep in mind throughout this discussion is immersion. To be a truly great role-playing game, it must capture the player’s attention and not provide a distraction that allows the player to return to the reality of the real world. The player must remain in the fictional world to feel that they have experienced a great RPG.
One of the most important elements of immersion is a storyline. A really believable yet gripping plot. A role player doesn’t want to load up the latest game and discover to their horror that the plot consists of the flimsy idea that they have to kill heaps of things in order to gain enough experience to kill the apparent villain. Who wants to play a game where the villain is declared the villain for no good reason? Have you played a game where you are part of a group of people and have been chosen to defeat the other group of people, but there is no actual evidence showing why the other group is bad? The worst of these are recent gangster games where one criminal organization wants to take down another criminal organization and you are the killer . Who is really that stupid to fall for such a terrible act? It’s certainly not for smart role-players.
A good act must not be a superficial excuse for war and must be something one wants to be a part of. The storyline also needs to be integrated into the gameplay itself and conveyed in a way that doesn’t interrupt the reality of the gameplay. There’s nothing worse than a big cutscene that kicks in mid-game and leaves you sitting idle for more than a minute or two. For role-playing players, immersion in the game comes from being the character themselves, not from watching the cutscenes as if they were watching TV. What’s next… Advertisement ?
Another part of a great gaming experience is realizing that you’ve been part of the fictional world since birth. This is conveyed by knowing where things are in the world, who the current leaders are and being aware of current events. This can be cleverly accomplished Businessacademy1 by naturally feeding snippets of information into conversations with non-player characters. Some extremely important information can be divulged in otherwise meaningless hoaxes, just like the world you’re about to immerse yourself in.
One thing that pulls an RPG out of a game is a sudden unwanted conversation with a hastily introduced character explaining where the nearest town is and that you have to be careful because there’s a war going on or something. This only happens in games where the maps update as you discover interesting locations. Making a major city not ten miles from your current position something you have to discover is ridiculous at best, and only fits scenarios where you’ve been teleported to a new reality or have lost your memory, although the latter should be used sparingly as there are already too many games that rely on the character suffering from amnesia. Discovery can be implemented in far more subtle ways, setting up secret areas in already known locations, and this is what gives a role-player the feeling of being discovered.
Another immersion problem is developing a love interest in a game without your involvement. You’re messing around, minding your own business, and then suddenly one of those characters in love you never knew existed has an impact on the gameplay because of their supposedly important role in the group you belong to. You should allow at least a little flirting in the conversation paths before including a love interest in the mix. For me, when someone suddenly shows such an interest, it’s a trigger for immersion, because there wasn’t anything that would lead to a relationship at all. If there is a possibility of a love interest in the game, it must be presented in a believable way and not outside of the character’s control.
There was one game where this happened, and the intertwining of two love interests served as an excuse for one of the non-player characters to underperform as a support while the other became a great support. Sure, the idea was new, but it was also very childish, assuming these two love interests were so infatuated with the player that neither of them could do without him. It was worse than watching Baywatch or Desperate Housewives.
I’m just going to add one more element to the mix because I just wouldn’t get anywhere if I allowed myself to point out all the requirements of the best RPGs. As I said before, immersion is the most important factor. A real problem for me is the inability to develop the kind of character I want. I’ve encountered this before in games where you don’t have a choice about what skills your character can develop. Of course, this is the worst-case scenario and there are many games that allow for limited development, but there are only a handful of games that allow for a real sense of development.
