Roleplaying games, it seems, have their elements scattered in multiple genres of gaming. In the recent Modern Warfare series, multiplayer mode gives players an experience-based system, giving them new weapons, perks, and even special pieces of equipment for winning a match or using a certain weapon in battle. In The Sims, your characters gain experience when they cook or exercise. Higher levels net you more skills to use, as well as special items. But what elements other than the quintessential experience-based leveling system make it into a true RPG?

First off, there’s the main story. Every RPG has these. It’s necessary for the game to actually work. Without a central narrative, the characters that surround it are walking around aimlessly, without focus or direction. Generally, there needs to exist a group of protagonists willing to beat a common enemy–the antagonist. The antagonist can range from an abstract thought, such as darkness (e.g. Cloud of Darkness from Final Fantasy III, the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts) or, more commonly, an Evil Empire bent of taking over the country/world (e.g. Valkyria Chronicles).

As for the protagonists, there’s a wide range of colorful characters with wild costumes, all usually young (about sixteen to eighteen in most cases), with the occasional aged character thrown in (thirty or older). The stories generally deal with defeating the enemy, and the subsequent hardships each character faces. There are plenty of themes about growing up, looking up towards the future, or fate and destiny. Character development generally runs alongside the main story, which can allow for some rather impressive moments for many characters. (more…)