Role-playing is a highly specialized type of game and requires a greater attention to detail than other genres. Many money-hungry companies rushed to join the role-playing genre, without ever really understanding what it was. These companies sometimes had the nerve to purchase smaller companies that were familiar with the genre, and they decimated the legacy of great traditional games.
This could have an impact on computerized role-playing game development. I feel it is important to educate the gaming industry giants to make sure they understand what really matters. Role-playing games can only be sold if there is an audience that will buy it. If a company continues to release dodgy shooters under the guise ‘role-playing games,’ they will destroy their reputation and bankrupt themselves. Bankrupt is something these money-hungry companies know. So I emphasize one point: try to sell dodgy players to role-playing fans.
Since I was a role-playing player for over thirty years, there have only been two systems I fell in love. This is probably because I didn’t follow the article writing guidelines. It is true that not many game companies have produced the same quality of role-playing games that are available on paper. I can tell you that I was thrilled when role-playing game became computerized. It meant that I could play my role-playing online and not have to search for other people. Some games are great, but they are few and far between. There are many types of role-playing games available, including pen and paper, computerized and online. However, only one can satisfy the full immersive needs of a role player. I’ll explain why later.
What are the essential elements of a great role playing game? Each element will be discussed separately, but immersion is the most important thing to remember throughout this discussion. It must grab the attention of the player and not allow them to drift back into the real world. If the player wants to feel like they’ve experienced a great role playing game, they must remain in the fictional world.
A storyline is essential for immersion. It should be believable, yet compelling. Role players don’t want to open the latest game only to find that the storyline is based on the idea that they must kill lots of things in order to gain enough experience to kill the bad guy. It’s not fair to make the bad guy the bad guy in a game. You’ve probably played in a game where one group has chosen you to defeat another group, but there is no evidence. These are the most egregious of all thug games, where one criminal organization wants to defeat another and you play the role of the hitman. Is it really possible to be so stupid as to fall for such a horrible storyline? This is certainly not the case for intelligent role-players.
Good storylines are not a superficial excuse for war. They must be something that you would want to be part of. It must be integrated into the gameplay and not interrupt the real world. It’s not good to be stuck in a cutscene for longer than two minutes. Role-play gamers believe that immersion comes from playing the role of the character and not watching cut-scenes like you would on television. Next… ads?
A great experience in a game is knowing that you are a part the world you created. This can be done by knowing the location of the world, who the leaders are, and current events. This can be accomplished by sharing small bits of information with non-player characters in a natural way. Som