So the other day, typing out "role playing game", I mistyped and typed "roll playing game''

Seriously, I've never felt more like an idiot. Major epiphany.

RPG=roll playing game, not role playing. 'Role playing' is just a corruption of the original term. The term comes from, obviously, RPGs' origins with PnP Rpg's like Dungeons and Dragons (i.e., you roll dice to play the game.) Early games in the RPG genre (and most today) base their stats growth/damage systems/etc off of RNG dependant systems which are, essentially, simulated dice rolls.

Now I finally have a trump card when I try and explain to people that Zeldas are NOT RPGs.

Did any of you realize this before?

to EDIT myself: I didn't quite think this out, what I mean to say is that, this makes a lot more sense than "role playing" since most games are role-playing, not the case when D & D came out. It's a far superior definition in my mind, and would actually serve as a clear boundary for whether or not a game qualifies as an RPG. 

Not true.

lies all lies, this is blasphami to the RPG god, he will strike you down where your stand you infadel.

Well, it is a good attempt at justifying the typo in a "I meant do that" sort of way. I'm sure someone who doesn't know better would believe you.

However, in these forums, you could use that logic until your blue in the face, but it will always result in FAIL.

French rôle, from Old French rolle, roll of parchment (on which an actor's part was written), from Latin rotula, diminutive of rota, wheel; see roll.

from Dictionary.com

Role. As in you assume the role of a character. You know you take on the role of your 10th level wizard or whatever.

Well I think it makes sense. Good one, blaydcor. ^^

I know, I'm just saying. I think my logic makes the term almost more specifically descriptive of what we refer to as "RPG's". Roleplaying game may have made sense way back when the only other games were Pong, but if we go by the "Role playing game" definition.

Halo is an RPG (you play the role of Master Chief).
Pacman is an RPG (role of pacman)
and so on.

While "Roll playing" only makes sense with games that have stastic based damage/growth systems, levels,
etc, which is what we generally consider to be RPG's.
To rephrase my original post...it probably wasn't the original terminology, but I think it makes a lot more sense these days.

I agree wholeheartedly with blaydcor!
The random dimension is a very good way to decide what makes a console game a RPG.
Good job.

this just in. Mario party 8 is a RPG!!!!