Unless you count text adventure games. The first video game RPG I believe is Ultima in 1981. A western developed game that is turn-based. These early games are more true to the term RPG. You are a blank avatar and choose a class that has varied stats. Inspired by DnD. The earliest Japanese role-playing games were action RPGs like Dragon Slayer from Falcom. Inventory and limits to how many items you can carry. Combat is as mentioned action. Top-down view with a mini-map of the dungeon. Japan's role-playing games then started using the bump system. Popular in many games like Ys and Hydlide. Our playable character started having some character to them. Like a name. We started getting games from the west Ultima sequels similar to previous titles then other series like Wizardry and Bards Tale and more were first-person dungeon crawling games with turn-based combat. Then late 80s come and Dragon Quest happens. Changing the face of the genre. The first game that people most commonly associate what a JRPG is. Soon after Final Fantasy. After this most Japanese RPGs became turn-based. Not call tho. At some point, WRPGs became more associated with action games and me dunno when that happened. Tho recent years it seems more classic WRPGs are trending again with Divinity Original sin spun off from the Devine Divinity series. Pillars of Eternity and such.
RPGs are like rock n roll. They have a hundred plus sub-genres. Hard to just lump them in 2 categories. CRPGs. WRPGs. JRPGs. ARPGs. SRPGS. TRPGs and so on and so on. Guardian Heroes even qualifies as an RPG. Beat em up RPG? It has full stats that you choose like an RPG. Story choices like western RPGs. Anime like a JRPG. Dragon's Crown feels like Diablo from a side view perspective in some ways (tho also a successor to DnD Arcade games) RPGs have a lot of loose definitions because again like a rock they have so many subcategories.
Bite my shiny metal cockpit!
