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Everyone who games has the one genre that just sucks them in and bring them joy. For me, that’s role-playing games (RPGs). Here’s why its my favorite genre of games.
1 Immersive Narratives and Lore
RPGs take place in fictional worlds, where, depending on the game, you can become immersed in the lore, story, and world-building. I still remember becoming obsessed with the in-depth world of Mass Effect 2, reading the codex about the sci-fi world’s history and races as if it was a novel I could dive into.
While they’ll differ in depth, RPGs have some of the most well-developed stories and worlds out of any game genre. After all, RPG video games were inspired from the rich tabletop role-playing game experience.
You can choose how much time you want to spend reading background lore and codex entries. For a lore nerd like me, immersing myself in a new world is half the fun. Rich lore isn’t only limited to RPGs though and you’ll find it in Soulslike games too.
2 Character Customization
It was the customization features of games like Neverwinter Nights II and the Mass Effect series that drew me into playing RPGs. As a girl in the 90s and early 2000s, I wasn’t used to being able to create a character that represented me, except in a game like The Sims.
But when it came to RPGs, I was able to take part in these grand adventures with a character that I related to. My love of character creation has only grown since my first time playing RPGs and I love when I’m able to adjust my origins, appearance, and attributes.
Some RPGs have more customization than others, but having control over the armor you equip and the powers you learn add that extra element of control. The level of customization also depends on whether you’re playing a western RPG or a JRPG. The lack of customization in JRPGs is why I tend to like western RPGs more.
3 Decisions That Matter
In addition to their rich narratives, many RPGs also allow you to make decisions that change the story and consequences for your character. These consequences can even span over different titles in a franchise.
For example, Dragon Age: Inquisition lets you import your game decisions from the previous games (Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II) using Dragon Age Keep. This affects characters in the game, dialog, and other aspects of the story.
Even if a game that is a bit more linear in terms of who your character is, like The Witcher 3, you can still make decisions that change the story.
4 Companions and Parties
Not all RPGs involve companions and parties, but my favorite ones do. I first came across this in Neverwinter Nights II and then again in Mass Effect 2—and the ways that this dynamic affects the gameplay and story has had me hooked ever since.
In a game like Baldur’s Gate 3, where turn-based combat allows you to control your party’s actions in fights, the party system also gives you a glimpse at other ways to play the game.
But most of all, I love how having these important recruits affects your quests and story.
5 Freedom of Gameplay
RPGs often have your character playing as some kind of build or class: for example, a ranged spellcaster or a melee fighter. Through skill trees and your various character statistics, you get a lot of freedom in how you play the game. Will you opt for a stealthy rogue or a tanky warrior?
This ability to choose your characters strengths and weaknesses is also especially great in dialog. For example, my character in Baldur’s Gate 3 was able to avoid a series of fights through her persuasion, deception, and intimidation proficiency.
Some games even allow you to take “evil” and “good” paths, or allow you to align with different factions. For example, in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, I could choose to align with vampires or werewolves. In Mass Effect 2, you could choose whether you wanted to be a Renegade Shepherd. Meanwhile, Baldur’s Gate III has a variety of good and evil endings.
Since RPGs allow you to take on the role of a fictional character, there’s a lot of choice involved: from decisions and character customization to gameplay style and class selections. And this freedom of choice in a variety of areas is what keeps the genre dear to my heart.
