1 of 1

Write now Article Tools

The video game industry is an industry on the rise. More and more people of all ages, race, and gender are becoming active in the video game community and this trend is only increasing. One of the largest gaming genres is the Role-Playing Game (RPG). The RPG video game began with Dungeon in 1975 and has grown into one of the largest and most profitable video game genres.

RPGs can be broken down into sub-categories. The four largest sub-categories, into which all other RPGs can be grouped, are: real-time, turn-based, Western, and Eastern. There are many other smaller categories: tactical RPGs, Action RPGs, and strategy RPGs. A fairly new innovation, the MMORPG is growing by huge leaps and bounds due to the popularity of games like World of Warcraft.
In its simplest form a RPG typically consists of a group of adventurers (the party) who accept and complete missions (quests) where they encounter many enemies and puzzles that try to stop them. RPGs are story-driven games, many classic games offer quite a bit of freedom and paying attention during the cut scenes is helpful for determining where to go next. Another vital characteristic shared by nearly all RPGs is their reliance on stats. Whether it is attributes of the player, or the equipment he finds, the various statistics improve throughout the game and increase the player's power.

AC : Armor Class. Comes from tabletop RPGs, like Dungeons&Dragons. As the AC gets better, by whatever method the game uses, the character is either harder to hit, or takes less damage per hit.
AoE : Area of Effect. Refers to the area a spell/skill effects.

Buff : Either the act of using a spell / technique / ability to increate some statistic / ability of a player or the effect itself.

Exp : Experience. Most RPGs use some system to record points, usually from defeating enemies, collecting treasure, or completing quests. These points are often spent towards advancing abilities, stats, or level.

HP: Hit points. Essentially the amount of damage a character can take before they die / fall unconscious.

JRPG: Japanese role-playing game. Actually refers to most Asian RPGs, but is named in honor of the country that originated them. JRPGs are usually made for consoles instead of computers, and tend to be more colorful with more outrageous characters. JRPGs are known for the odd humor that is often written into the game. JRPGs are very linear compared to WRPGs, with the character constantly progressing towards a

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about A guide to computer role-playing game sub-genres?
We want to hear your view. Write now!