RPGs Took Over Every Video Game Genre

The role-playing game, a tradition as old as the controller and older still, has endured decades of changing game design with no sign of ceasing its steady march.

With a sense of adventure beating in its chest and a fierce devotion to character stirring its legs, the RPG has made itself known in all corners of the world. And over time, other genres have adopted the RPG’s ways, especially as game archetypes bleed together and fuse into new and intoxicating combinations.

It’s safe to say that the RPG has taken over every video game genre out there, but this domination shouldn’t surprise us. The RPG is founded on a handful of core principles, including the telling of a story and the growth of a character or group of characters. These principles pervade human desire — not just video games. Tracking a visual representation of progress satisfies our most fundamental needs, and the joys of following a story go back as far as storytelling itself.