Why do people even like RPG?

[Kenryoku_Maxis]

youarebadatgames said:

Kenryoku_Maxis said:

scottie said:

youarebadatgames said:
RPGs are a skinner box. Take away that, and they've got nothing. I hate that RPG elements are infesting FPSs. But then again, some people are just so bad at games that they have to be rewarded for the time they spent playing because everyone has grown up thinking that they are special.

 

And I hate that shooter elements are infesting RPGs

I like that genres are mixing together.  Its made some of my favorite games in the past such as River City Ransom, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Diablo II, Battlefield 2, Age of Empires III, etc.

Complaining that genres should be stagnant and only stick to one thing is complaining that gaming should never evolve and die.

Also, complaining that a player shouldn't be rewarded for extended play of a game is just dumb.  What's the point in playing a game?  Whether you're talking about Battlefield or Final Fantasy, the concept of giving people rewards for their time playing is not new and its just encouragement to keep playing.  And its not limited to RPGs.  Heck, they've been doing it since the days of the Atari and NES.  Even before FPS or many other genres existed.

Because players should be rewarded for skill?

http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html

Making people feel good even when they are bad is good business.

If you're trying to water down the argument to 'RPGs are just a system of levers and actions', then any game can be watered down to that degree.  From FPS to RPGs to Fighters games.  Every game, after you 'crack the code' of how to play the game and memorize the repetitive patterns of doing the actions you need to do, is basically grinding or repeating the same actions to gain satisfaction.  It doesn't matter if you're talking about Counter-Strike or Dragon Quest, Tetris or Street Fighter.

There's a system every game developer sets up that they want a player to experience.  Someone who goes beyond that level is not 'skilled'.  They're just 'committed'.  But being able to 'wave dash' in Smash Bros or have every rank in Battlefield or all the unlocks in Mario Kart not 'skill' so much as a time commitment.  So on the flip side, there's nothing wrong with giving someone bonuses for sticking to an RPG for an extended amount of time.  Especially since there are some pretty challenging RPGs out there.  And I'm not talking about WoW.