A Lament on RPGs

I like things with a good story line. I do. Most of TV bores me as there is a lack or story. The same is true with Hollwood movies. Almost everything in my life requires an intriguing story to entertain me. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy things that are just pure fun. Quite to the contrary. I enjoy fun things. I loves me a good fighting game every now and then. But I find myself intrigued by anything with a good story and good character development. The same goes for video games.

Now, I’m going to be honest here. Most video games in the US are not created with story in mind. They’re not. How else can you explain the popularity of sports games and FPSs. That’s not to say that there aren’t First Person Shooters that don’t have storylines. Lets just say there’s a reason for the ridiculous amount of Call of Duty games and Battlefield. They’re not exactly plot heavy.

Now, it’s common knowledge that gaming is by and large dominated by men. As time goes on, there are more and more girl gamers (such as myself) who also enjoy video games as a way to unwind. The more recent statistics are that 42% of gamers are female.

And there is also a portion of the gaming community that likes story. Not just female gamers, but male gamers. For us minority of gamers, there isn’t a whole lot available that’s produced in the US.

What’s left for us?

That’s where the wide world of JRPGs comes in.

I admit it. I like spending 10’s of 100’s of hours playing a role-playing game, slowly letting the story unfold before me. Sure, the stories aren’t necessarily original, but they are compelling enough to keep going. It’s a wonderland for those of us who like plot with their gaming.

Of course, it’s not all just Final Fantasy and Elder Scrolls. There’s a lot of other games out there… such as the Shin Megami Tensei series. There’s so much more that we don’t know about as they’re only released in Japan.

So, maybe one of these days, these games will be more available to those of us in the English-speaking world.

And as a side-note, there are also a lot of good action and adventure games with equally awesome storylines (Legend of Zelda, Castlevania and Devil May Cry are some notable titles). This is not to say that there not out there and not worth playing, on the contrary. I wanted to talk more about role-playing games as I have been lamenting the decline in role-playing game titles that are available.