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Do RPGs have value outside of fun?

Metronome

Learned
Joined
Jan 2, 2020
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277
It depends on how difficult they are I think. There are probably some roguelikes that are "good for you" at least.
 

Thal

Augur
Joined
Apr 4, 2015
Messages
413
Considering the amount of theorycrafting you can do for character building and how you have to weigh in your decisions in good tactical combat, crpgs are likely to delay onset of dementia. I also have a feeling that they mayb e useful for stimulating brain development during adolescence. Use it or lose it applies to pretty much everything in humans.

The real value is though, is that you may realize that rpgs are an attempt to simulate personal growth in real life, and that nothing stops you from raising your level irl. Hell, if you managed got Viconia without reloading, you might even romance someone one day.

popamoles are pretty useless though
 
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Smoker

Scholar
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Feb 10, 2017
Messages
120
You mean like how adventure games always have some rare occupation that you learn about while playing it?
 
Joined
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410
You can use them to learn languages. Up to a certain point, that is. Obviously, they're no substitute for face-to-face interaction with native speakers, but there is value in using them as a crutch, just as you would do with books. RPG's in particular tend to contain interesting vocabulary (think of all those items in your inventory, for starters), although some of it may be obscure or useless.
 

Darkzone

Arcane
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
2,323
Any Medium of Communication transfers Information. If the Information presented in RPGs have a realistic background as they teach you something about the real world, then can have quite the positive value.
 

Parsifarka

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Dec 31, 2014
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1,022
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Potato field
Yes, they teach how to set an inventory in order, choose market baskets, abstract properties and compare them, divide and specialize workforce, set long term goals and the means to achieve them, kill pests, develop skills, seduce überwomen and minmax yourself -in a word, how to live :obviously:
 
Joined
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Messages
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Location
DFW, Texas
Some RPGs contain art, so surely there's some marginal value beyond entertainment in there. RPGs require basic arithmetic so they probably hold some value in the education of children too.
 

NJClaw

OoOoOoOoOoh
Patron
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Pronouns: rusts/rusty
Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture
They obviously have the inherent value of providing the basis for the establishment of a community. I love exchanging opinions about rpgs with groups of friends that I met trough PnP rpgs and I love doing the same with complete strangers here on the Codex.
 

mondblut

Arcane
Joined
Aug 10, 2005
Messages
22,205
Location
Ingrija
Self-replicating like a cancer

Reproduction via recruitment, like vampires and homosexuals (unless they are the same?).

At least RPGs taught me to see the rest of humanity for the NPCs they are, increasing quality of my life dramatically.
 

Lacrymas

Arcane
Joined
Sep 23, 2015
Messages
17,948
Pathfinder: Wrath
You can use them to learn languages. Up to a certain point, that is. Obviously, they're no substitute for face-to-face interaction with native speakers, but there is value in using them as a crutch, just as you would do with books. RPG's in particular tend to contain interesting vocabulary (think of all those items in your inventory, for starters), although some of it may be obscure or useless.
You quickly amass the casual everyday vocabulary, it's actually through games and books that you can deepen your word trove. Unless you have extensive conversations about a variety of topics with your native-speaker friends, you won't get past basic vocab only using that method. Yeah, you sometimes learn old words that are seldom used, but so what.

Outside of fun, languages, and challenging yourself, all fiction is proven to increase your empathy and our ability to put ourselves in others' shoes. RPGs (and games in general) can give us as much as any fiction book can, which is quite a lot.
 

Darkzone

Arcane
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
2,323
Yes, they teach how to set an inventory in order, choose market baskets, abstract properties and compare them, divide and specialize workforce, set long term goals and the means to achieve them, kill pests, develop skills, seduce überwomen and minmax yourself -in a word, how to live :obviously:
Not exactly what Aristoteles has meant with his meditations about stories (Tragedy, Comedy, Epic and Dithyramb) and heroes, but as a sarcastic answer it has a certain merit.

Most people (correctly) assume that reading has value outside of the enjoyment you get from it: does any such parallel exist in playing RPGs? If so, what value do they provide?
They can teach you game design. That's how they reproduce.
Information is a virus.
 

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