What defines the genre of RPG?

[linwolf]

For me a leveling system is the most integrated part of RPG and inventory is imported too. In RPGs you becomes better by improving you characters skills in other game by improving you own skills, that is the one defining thing that RPGs have for me.

 

[Farther than stars]

So someone watches Extra Credits.... Anyway claiming that a person's fundamental development of what is 'fun' is a cultural is wrong. Hes talking fun from an individual perspective. I know I like choice and freedom in a video game because in real life I don't have any, I live, work and then I die and nothing I can do will change that. None of that is certain in a videogame. To be perfectly honest I don't really understand what your trying to say in that last section. JRPGs sell reasonably well in the west, that seems to point out that there isnt an overriding right and wrong in terms of cultural perspective. He's saying he would enjoy jrpgs if he was allowed to choose thats fine, you seem to be pointing out that people have different opinions. Thats seems a little redundant.

I'm just talking about mere inclinations here. I wouldn't say that a culture completely moulds the minds of people who are a part of it, but I do postulate that it certainly has an influence on personal views. If you think that the culture you grow up in has no effect whatsoever on those views of yours, then you are free to make that your opinion and thereby render my argument of no consequence. (It's seems rather off-topic to continue debating sociology and, to a greater degree, causality on this particular thread.)
And now that you mention it, Extra Credits did indeed discuss this phenomenon a sort while ago. Although I believe it used this argumentation for a different subject.