the_one_54321 wrote...
Never mind that every single video game genre is defined by it's mechanics. Except RPGs. For some reason. Some indistinct, incommunicable reason.
Let's look at Strategy games.
Strategy games where you control whole armies against other forces. This can be turned based, isometric viewed, or even have heroes who level up and learn abilities. End of the day if you control armies against another army with a focus on strategy and tactics than it's an RTS. WarCraft 3, for example has heroes and inventories and is still a RTS game.
How about FPS.
You are a single character armed with weapons. The experience is focused on being this one person in this one event. It can have RPG elements, squad ordering, companions that follow you (though for a long time those types of escort missions were a bane to all those who live), and you can even have a game where you
don't shoot anybody and still be a FPS. Or even First person games where the object is to
avoid combat at all costs.
Puzzle games?
You play as no one and no army. Your objective to solve puzzles. Nothing else. Those puzzles can range from any manner of puzzle from any level of difficulty.
TPS?
Third person perspective. You shoot things. It can have RPG elements like GTA: San Andreas or Crackdown. It can have racing elements, squad combat, strategy elements even. All that matters is that the perspective is third person and you shoot a weapon.
And now we're at RPGs.
What do they need to be RPGs? You play a role that the player costumizes, other games allow this. You have inventory and skills? Other games have those as well. Does perspective matter? If so what about the Elder Scrolls games which allow for changing between First and Third whenever the player wants? Do the weapons count?
The biggest difference for RPGs and any other genre is how they tell their stories. In RTS you fight and win through tactics and stratagy. You play the campagin they design by defeating tougher and tougher armies until you win and see the story as told.
FPS and TPS are similar. You shoot the bad guys and beat the game as done.
Puzzle games, you beat them and feel sorta happy before starting another one.
RPGs allow for the player to make choices with consquences. They generally have a greater focus on world building on creating a world in which the player becomes engrossed in. The game reacts to player choices more often and in the end of the game it's more likely for an RPG to have multiple endings based on player choice.
None of these things are unique to RPGs. The Thief series is a FPS and its world was very detailed and included many books and NPC conversations that expanded on that world, giving it detail and engrossing the player. Many games have multiple endings. FPSs routinely have reactive enviroments. TPSs even have player choice have consquences, such as the Spliter Cell games.
But the key thing here is that the PC is your creation. Not only do you design the face, you decide how that character acts and reacts. And the game allows it.
Genres defined only by mechanics would have many exceptions and sub-genres and mixed genres. The entire point of genres was to define the differences between certain types of games. And the mechanics of those games have mingled with each other for so long that mechanics alone cannot be the only way to define a genre.
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