Editorial How Mass Effect challenged my definition of 'RPG'

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: BioWare; Mass Effect; Mass Effect 2; Mass Effect 3

Gamasutra has put up an opinion piece on how Mass Effect challenges the definition of what an RPG is.

As video game technology advanced, especially in the transitional years of the 1990s, more and more time was spent on storytelling instead of mechanical dungeon crawlers. A game like Betrayal At Krondor (1993) was built to fit in within Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar series, and was, in many ways, the best possible combination of video gaming and fantasy literature. Planescape: Torment (1999) might be the pinnacle of the video game as interactive novel, with its reams of text, choice, character development, and narrative complexity.

Torment was also one of the last games to fit that mold. Through the 1990s, more and more games started to utilize the conventions of film. This charge was led, ironically, by a series of role-playing games: Final Fantasy. Nothing demonstrates this better than the opening credit sequence of 1994's Final Fantasy VI, as the ominous music plays and evil appears to march on the innocent. And while BioWare is a western RPG developer, much of their success, from Knights of the Old Republic on, has come from successfully combining the the tropes of both Western and Japanese-style role-playing games, including the use of visual, film-like storytelling instead of novelistic storytelling.

The Mass Effect games are the culmination of this trend. Their voice acting sounds like a movie, the camera angles look like a movie, the storyline is divided into movie scenes, and thanks to the film effect, it even has the visual feel of a movie. And this, I think, is what makes many RPG fans react so emotionally to its occasional placement in the role-playing genre. Mass Effect's surprising popularity seems to say that RPGs aren't novels, they're movies now. If that's something a player is fine with, they'll probably like Mass Effect just fine. But if not – then it's not just a game to be liked or disliked, but it's a symbol of everything that's wrong with video games today – bigger, flashier, and dumber.

Thus BioWare's revelation that they're working on multiple different modes of gameplay for Mass Effect 3 makes perfect sense. They're trying to appeal to as many sides of the genre discussion as they can. So the apparently straightforward examination of whether a game series like Mass Effect fits into a conventional genre category is therefore revealed to be question of the nature of gaming itself, past, present, and future, and it's one with big implications for BioWare.

RPGs are movies now.

 

[treave]

And while BioWare is a western RPG developer, much of their success, from Knights of the Old Republic on, has come from successfully combining the the tropes of both Western and Japanese-style role-playing games, including the use of visual, film-like storytelling instead of novelistic storytelling.

More like successfully combining the worst of Western and Japanese tropes. Shooter mechanics, dumbed down fake 'choices & consequences', a story derpier than some of the derpest jRPGs, waifu-mechanics, a Western multikult obsession with homosexuality far beyond what you'd find in jRPGs, Jersey Shore muscleheads, and 'hard' sci-fi done badly.

 

[Wyrmlord]

If I were to compare the ratio of narrative time to actual gameplay time in Betrayal at Krondor, it is low compared to even first person shooters today.

That's because BaK was still a pure videogame at heart, and not just a pseudo-movie.

 

[shihonage]

I like apples.

 

[Infinitron]

Is "Aleksey Sundeyev" a Codexer? He's a bro.

I felt more attachment to Fallout's "Katrina who has a pretty smile", or strong and silent "Ian who has a posture of an experienced fighter", than to any of these overwrought, poorly voiced and animated, uncanny-valley abominations existing in a universe that seemingly came from the late George Lucas.

 

[snoek]

silly goose.

 

[Ermm]

And while BioWare is a western RPG developer, much of their success, from Knights of the Old Republic on, has come from successfully combining the the tropes of both Western and Japanese-style role-playing games, including the use of visual, film-like storytelling instead of novelistic storytelling.

More like successfully combining the worst of Western and Japanese tropes. Shooter mechanics, dumbed down fake 'choices & consequences', a story derpier than some of the derpest jRPGs, waifu-mechanics, a Western multikult obsession with homosexuality far beyond what you'd find in jRPGs, Jersey Shore muscleheads, and 'hard' sci-fi done badly.

Truth to be told, I enjoyed FFVII story even more than ME.

 

[felipepepe]

Truth to be told, I enjoyed FFVII story even more than ME.

Of course, even if you combine the "story" from all 3 ME, you don't have the same lenght as FF VII plot, neither half the impact that Aeris dying or Cloud going comatose did.

All those VA, graphics, "emotional engagement", "choices" and whatever more BioWare is hyping about, and they still can't even get close to what a 16-years old PS1 game did by killing a party member I didn't even use. Or the main character dying in Chrono Trigger. But most game journalist must have been babies by that time, and no good game was made before the 2000's, so I guess is logic they don't remenber that.

 

[deus101]

Actually...i sorta like his last point.

"Thus BioWare's revelation that they're working on multiple different modes of gameplay for Mass Effect 3 makes perfect sense. They're trying to appeal to as many sides of the genre discussion as they can. "
(BAH fucking background color shit)
Now, if they try to accomodate the storyfags first....maybe there is enough room for us to make an effort to ship the game with ENTIRELY different mechanics for Grognards like us.

I mean, yeah were not a cash cow, but it the extra sales could be produced by a little more effort, would they take it.

 

[hoopy]

From this perspective, the Mass Effect games aren't merely RPGs, they are perhaps the best example of RPGs in the world. At most every point in the game, Commander Shepard's actions and reactions can be influenced by the player, and those affect the game world.

But since this is true of other games (that the author evidently has not played) which do the same thing much, much better (e.g. Fallout), how can Mass Effect be the best?

Halo is properly understood as a first-person shooter, but if you really identify with the Master Chief, is it an RPG?

If you really identify with Neo, is The Matrix a role-playing movie?

Civilization is the king of strategy games, but if you talk about your game with a French accent and a Joan of Arc leaderhead, aren't you role-playing?

If I do nothing in Skyrim except hunt animals and sell their pelts, is it a hunting simulator?

But what this definition does do is sort through every game that should be considered an RPG and make that status clear. It also works for understanding some controversial games. Deus Ex? Character progression makes random targeting more efficient – it's an RPG.

What's really the difference between buying an ability in DX and buying kevlar in Counter-Strike? Or picking up a powerup in R-Type?

Mass Effect's surprising popularity seems to say that RPGs aren't novels, they're movies now.

World of Warcraft is far more popular. Once again the author fails at elementary logic.

But I don't think Mass Effect is an RPG anyway. It's more like an action adventure game.

Role-playing games are games in which players assume the roles of fictional characters and collaboratively create stories. Players determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a system of rules and guidelines. Within the rules, players can improvise freely; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the games.

 

[Mozgoëbstvo]

I thought the only gamasutra pieces allowed space in these hallowed grounds were sea's.
And what the heck is up with all these ME news?

 

[Average Manatee]

After the last article about ME being hard sci-fi I am completely out of rage.

 

[J_C]

And what the heck is up with all these ME news?

Haven't you heard? It is GOTY 2012.

 

[felipepepe]

And what the heck is up with all these ME news?

Haven't you heard? It is GOTY 2012.

AND a groundbreaking RPG. What else should teh Codex discuss?

 

[mondblut]

I can't believe people are still munching over "do I play a role of Master Chef in Halo?" seriously. It had been an unfunny meme for half a decade already, for fuck's sake.

 

[Roguey]

Rowan Kaiser's been writing a lot of horrible articles about RPGs lately. Good thing I get all giddy whenever I see sea tear him a new one each time.

Another insulting comment that didn't even seem to read the article. If you do a better job of reading my piece and engage with it like a human being instead of a warrior, perhaps I'll read this wall of text.

How does he know it's insulting if he didn't read it?

 

[felipepepe]

True, sea is a BRO, fighting the good fight!

This is a good pic, you can see the RAGE in his eyes.

 

[curry]

Sheesh, girls with facial hair are ugly. Someone should tell her to take a look in the mirror.

 

[sea]

I thought the only gamasutra pieces allowed space in these hallowed grounds were sea's.

It's okay, I wrote more in comments than what's in his actual article. And yeah, I read his "Rhythm of the Quest" or whatever piece, that was terrible as well and kinda made me develop a grudge against him. When I saw this piece I knew to expect pain.

You dudes are all bros, especially you curry.

 

[Stinger]

Oh god....this is even worse than his Fallout 3 RHYTHM! column.

for you Sea for such a great takedown of everything he wrote.

 

[Average Manatee]

Fighting the good fight with his words.

 

[hiver]

To be blunt: your thesis is vague, your article is full of filler, the definition the piece hinges upon is not persuasive, and your arguments, where they are, do not support the thesis effectively.

How many times these exact same words come to me... daily.

 

[Alex_Steel]

And, you can also disagree with me about Shepard being more an extension of the player's will than other games. That's fine and dandy, but from my conversations with gamers and critics, the way Shepard is written and how they create/play as their Shepard is clearly the biggest draw of the game to them.

Games as in RPGames or games in general?
Gamers as in RPGamers or gamers in general?
Big difference.

From the moment you see someone splitting something complex into two sides, you know this guy is an imbecile. Or a politician.

He could put a tl;dr in the beginning with the following sentence as a header:
"RPGs are only narrative or only mechanics. And I think it's narrative. Also I have a simple mind."

 

[Spectacle]

How Gamasutra challenged my definition of stupidity.

 

[Stinger]

Oh dear. He doesn't take criticism well does he.