wraggster
October 6th, 2012, 22:37
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2009/01/massreleasejtm_530x330.jpg (http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/05/what-gives-role-playing-games-their-longevity/)
Ask an RPG fan for a recommendation, and you are perhaps as likely to hear about a game that's a decade old as you would a recent release. That's because role-playing games can stand the test of time. Take a look at GOG.com's best-selling games (http://www.gog.com/en/catalogue), and the first eight are all RPGs, with many more filling out the top parts of the list. It would seem that with most other genres, there's an assumption that a newer game is a better game – unless there's some kind of terrible design choice. What makes role-playing games specifically have such long-term value?
The strong stories in role-playing games are one major reason for their longevity. Alongside adventure games, RPGs have long been at the forefront of storytelling innovations within the medium. And a story isn't going to become outdated. I may prefer Ultima VII's or Mass Effect 2's interfaces and graphics toUltima VI and the first Mass Effect, but I find the storytelling more appealing in the chronologically earlier games. Improved technology can't make this obsolete.
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/05/what-gives-role-playing-games-their-longevity/
Ask an RPG fan for a recommendation, and you are perhaps as likely to hear about a game that's a decade old as you would a recent release. That's because role-playing games can stand the test of time. Take a look at GOG.com's best-selling games (http://www.gog.com/en/catalogue), and the first eight are all RPGs, with many more filling out the top parts of the list. It would seem that with most other genres, there's an assumption that a newer game is a better game – unless there's some kind of terrible design choice. What makes role-playing games specifically have such long-term value?
The strong stories in role-playing games are one major reason for their longevity. Alongside adventure games, RPGs have long been at the forefront of storytelling innovations within the medium. And a story isn't going to become outdated. I may prefer Ultima VII's or Mass Effect 2's interfaces and graphics toUltima VI and the first Mass Effect, but I find the storytelling more appealing in the chronologically earlier games. Improved technology can't make this obsolete.
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/05/what-gives-role-playing-games-their-longevity/