“MMORPGs require players to synthesize, analyze and evaluate information, apply critical thinking and solve problems thus, they may be considered as learning environments that support players in gaining, the so called, 21st century skills which can be potentially transferable in real life,” (cited in Dickey, 2007 Susaeta et al., 2010). Regardless of the story in these games, the skills they give us are still relevant to this day. This creates a sense of community amongst those engrossed in whatever RPG world(s) they choose, encouraging a more social way of life. “The development of slang is a common trend in subcultures that help the members of the community connect with each other,” (Sundberg, n.d.). Slang is just a subset of a language and to learn this, understand it and use it is proof that these players have social skills, even if not to society’s standards or expectations. Beyond these interactions is the slang that comes with mostly an RPG game. “Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is an immersive fantasy role-playing game (RPG) which allows players to fulfill real-world social needs through interaction”, (Adams, 2013). The fact that RPGs can deliver a real-world scenario often means that social skillsĪre developed through these interactions. “These video games are designed in ways that promote sociability, communication and collaboration amongst players pursuing missions (quests) in the environment,” (Yu, 2009). This experience leads a player to gain perspective, escape social pressure, improve social skills and more.
RPGs can be two player or played via co-op, where two players go through the story rather than one. People often find a connection with others through RPGs. Is this because we lean away from our own lives and look to live in a more dramatic or approachable world? “Because they are so close to reality, these games tend to be less popular as entertainment,” (Sundberg, n.d.). Of all genres, ‘realism’ is the least popular.
Our morals often affect the outcome of a game, evident in games like Until Dawn, a game that is solely based on your previous actions in the game. For example, fantasy RPG players report to be less feminine, less androgynous, have lower empathy, describe themselves as scientific, and engage in leisure activities such as reading and playing on computers,” (Douse & McManus, 1993). “Personality traits are likely to differ between groups interested in any particular hobby to some extent. Our personalities often lead to the games we choose to play. Those that play RPGs have been found to fall into certain stereotypes and to hold similar characteristic traits. This further proves that the definition of an RPG is up in the air.įigure 2: Screenshot from The Witcher 3, a traditional RPG Kao discusses “juiciness, colour, audio, feedback and seductive details,” (Kao, 2020), as their main components of an RPG, whilst Liberty leads with “a player controlling a character where the character has game statistics and/or relational attributes with other game objects, important fictional/narrative relationships with other story elements and the player makes decisions for the character, stepping into that role and making choices as if they were the character,” (Liberty, 2017). Liberty discusses how parts of video game RPGs miss the tabletop RPG components “Tabletop RPGs, being multi-player games undertaken in person are inherently social…Single player RPGs lack this, but can make up for that by adding an online community to their game,” (Liberty, 2017). RPGs first began as tabletop games, like Dungeons & Dragons or World of Warcraft and the videogame RPG definition derives from the tabletop definition. The definition of an RPG is debated though it is officially defined. What is an RPG? “…every game is a role-playing game if the player feels like they are roleplaying,” (Liberty, 2017). Figure 1: (Game Genres popularity in 2018) points out that in 2018, 11.3% of games sold in the US were RPGs. According to , RPGs are one of the most popular game genres available. It is possible to assume more than one character and for RPGs to be in different, fantasy settings. A Role Play Game (RPG) is a game genre where the player assumes the role of a character throughout play.
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