Yes, this again.
During my 4 hour mailman route, my mp3 player died, forcing me to use my brain for productive things.
I didn't want any of that, so I decided to use it on the ever popular RPG discussions that are all the rage here. And I came up with what I think is a nice analogy.
Acting.
I don't think it's a far stretch to say that acting is a form of Role Play.
But even if you don't agree with that, at least hear me out.
I'm going to compare two types of acting, namely; improvised acting, and movie or theatrical acting.
Improvised acting is often seen in tv shows like "Whose Line Is It Anyway?".
They give the actor total freedom to put down a character, and do a little act, often funny.
The actor makes a character, gives it a role and makes choices on the spot about the plot, or situation.
Then there is movie acting.
The actor is given a script, with a pre-made character. who's choices are already set in stone. Not a single thing is up to the actor.
The name is taken, the type of character is taken, the role is set in stone. Yet the actor plays the role.
These two examples are also seen in games land.
We have the Free RPG's like Fallout 3, Oblivion, Mass Effect, Dragon Age. Who let you improvise (to a very limited extent). You make the role and you play the role.
And confined RPG's, like Final Fantasy, Tales series, Diablo, MMO's.
The role is premade, you might get the option to give a name, but your actions are already set in stone.
However, you DO play that role. You act out the script. You are still playing that role.
So I hear the question forming in your head.
"What makes Final Fantasy XIII a RPG, while Halo isn't. You both play a role."
Yes, yes that is right.
But over the years, another factor sneaked into RPG's that defines them more than the act of playing a role. Stats.
Or rather, the improvement of character attributes that progressively increase your character's abilities and skills.
You see, in Halo, I will get better at the game. MY skills will improve. That is why I can later go back to the first level and beat the monsters far better. My aim improved, my reaction time improved, I learned more about the AI.
While in Final Fantasy, it is your character that improves. It gains new stats, it gains new powers, new skills and new attributes.
If I start a new game, that boss will be just as hard as on the first play through. Sure, I might have learned some new tactics, but generally, my character is level 1.
And even those boarders are getting thinner now. More and more games include a RPG style into their main genre. Look at the heroes in Warcraft 3. Or the increasing attributes of Lara Croft in.... I forgot there are too many Tomb Raider games.
Or even the other way, Kingdom Hearts takes both your and your characters' abilities to the test.
But at the core, RPG's are still the games that progress through stats, and not through your skill.
My two cent.
