Insensitive context - what is an RPG?

[RedElectric]

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Game developers, simply put cannot get any person to care.

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In summary, If you can't connect to the game, can't play the role...perhaps it's not the game at all, perhaps it's you!

Game developers have exactly that goal. How to shape the player experience to make them care ^^

There's a difference between making a gamer care, and giving the gamer something that they want to care about. My assertion still stands.

EDIT: Let me further sharpen my definition. What I'm saying is that Game Devs cannot make a game whereby the gamer has NO CHOICE but to care. Just simple human basics. One person ultimately cannot make a decision FOR another.

 

[tobyornottoby]

[...]

Game developers, simply put cannot get any person to care.

[...]

In summary, If you can't connect to the game, can't play the role...perhaps it's not the game at all, perhaps it's you!

Game developers have exactly that goal. How to shape the player experience to make them care ^^

There's a difference between making a gamer care, and giving the gamer something that they want to care about. My assertion still stands.

EDIT: Let me further sharpen my definition. What I'm saying is that Game Devs cannot make a game whereby the gamer has NO CHOICE but to care. Just simple human basics. One person ultimately cannot make a decision FOR another.

Everything that is true is practical unusable, everything that is practical is theoretically untrue

(but the you're right, the first one suits the tread better than the second)

 

[mark_n_b]

Bottom line, a real RPG has never been released in the video game format.
Let`s not forget the first definition given for what a Role Playing Game is. Gary Gygax made a game that allowed a player do do absolutely anything he or she could do within a defined setting.

This hit the nail on the head. I somewhat agree that conversations concerning RPGs in gaming do break down to chats about JRPGs far too often. JRPGs are hardly RPGs by any definition, you do not get the statistic manipulation over you characters, the story (the role) and the game (the playing) are often two totally distinctive elements, and without fail JRPGs are almost completely directed in direction.

What JRPGs do have is exceptional story and script resulting in empathy for the characters within the game, and a mechanism of play that will allow anyone to win the game regardless of skill level. This results in the empathy with the characters that is embodied in RPG play, and the strong story driven world is also an important part of RPG play.

I am not sure if I agree with the original post's assumption that custom avatars add to this and I am always frustrated by the assumption of WRPG developers that the inclusion of semi statistics makes a game an RPG.

I have experienced a couple true RPGs in video game. One is Blade Runner, I always plug that title, more games need to model their world construction which emphasizes results and consequences in more than a secondary / sub-story capacity. The Sword in the Stone for the Apple II had this quality about it a well. Likely because of its contained world size, small variables seemed to have a large impact. A number of classic text titles were very much like this as well. But directed game-play is the norm anymore.

While the criticism that a discussion of RPGs should include more than just JRPG references is valid(and we all know Susan's niche after reading that article) the point of the article was more global than that and holds true for all RPG styled titles east or west. She is the only name mentioned on this thread who has received a paycheque from the Escapist, so that already demonstrates she knows better.