Definition of RPG (Role-Playing Game)

From time to time, we all like to step into the skin of another, whether in the movie theater (imagining that we are the protagonist of the movie we see, for example), watching sport (and thus score the winning goal for our favorite team), imagining that we are a famous person, or in more "dreamlike" phases of our lives.

In the world of video games, it is also possible to step into the shoes of another and make decisions or take actions that will influence our lives. For this, I present the role-playing games, or RPG's.

The history of RPGs is very long, and goes back to the days of the big mainframes where you worked on the command line

And make no mistake: this long story and tradition it is due to the character freak that computer scientists had for decades.

Because although this new technology is, today, something mainstream (Who doesn't have computer Y smartphone?) not long ago it was still a matter of a few who, in general, shared minority tastes then, among them role-playing games.

So it was a very short time before some of the pioneering computer scientists tried to bring their hobby of dashboards to life. table to computers, which offered them greater possibilities, for example, those of playing with people physically distant.

The first role-playing games on computers were adaptations of their tabletop versions (such as Dungeons & Dragons), produced in the mid-70s of the last century

With the passing of time and technical advances, video games with advanced graphics were possible and, along with this evolution, there were also the RPG titles.

In addition to improved graphics, the expansion of Internet and the increase in bandwidth for the Username, also allowed to play through the network and create a new subgenre, the MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game).

In MMORPGs, thousands of users simultaneously connect to fantasy worlds in which they adopt the personalities of orcs, wizards, warriors or sorcerers, going solo to explore that world and go on adventures, or joining with other players to form sides or bands with which to run their adventure.

This has not been an obstacle for the gender also continue to develop in single player games, for those who prefer to lock themselves in the solitude of their rooms to play.

Throughout the history of RPGs there have been outstanding games such as:

• Dungeons & Dragons. More than a specific title, the multiplicity of implementations of the popular board game, Together with the different games that it has inspired, they make this one of the most popular in the world of gaming. role. Its influence has been immeasurable.
• Dragon quest. Its long history begins in 1986, and has had a multiplicity of variants.
• Final fantasy. A classic among the classics, closely linked to Nintendo video consoles, although it has implementations for most video consoles and also for Microsoft Windows.
• World of warcraft. It is perhaps the best known MMORPG, a game that has caused sensation and that, in my opinion, has broken the barriers between a genre considered freak from outside, to become mainstream, since its players are people of all ages, conditions and hobbies.
• Might and Magic. A medieval fantasy game that helped lay the foundations of what modern role-playing video games are.
• Last. One of the longest-lived RPG sagas, with more than three decades behind it, although no new title has been released for three years.

Photos: Fotolia - Africa Studio / Hetizia