East VS West: Part One.

East VS West Part One: It's cramped in here.

After much thought on the subject, I've come to a conclusion (at least in my opinion) of why the gaming industry is in such distress. Which also explains why franchises like Final Fantasy are considered stale and boring now. I'm planning on breaking this rant/essay up into multiple parts and this will be the first part.

It's cramped in here.

A standard of any role playing game (in any form, paper or video game) is a compelling story and the progress made through the story with memorable characters and events. Let's look back at the original Final Fantasy game for the NES. While this isn't the 'first' rpg for a video game console, it was considered the best of it's time. While the story was very minimal by today's standards, it was a large leap forward at the time. You had a nice central cast of fully customizable characters who you could make into what you wanted, but at the same time you had a nice memorable cast of secondary characters and a memorable villain. The story was also impressive and deep for what it was. You were chosen by a supernatural force to bring balance and order to the world and stop the ultimate evil over space and time from destroying the world.  As a kid or a teenager at the time that was just awesome, it made you the hero and you were in control. Or that is to say you thought you were. And thus lies the problem. A rpg is not really a role playing game so much as it's an adventure game with role playing elements.

Let me explain why I say that. In every rpg you really don't have control. You aren't the one in charge of your destiny you're doing what they say you can and are allowed very little freedom. Let's look at it like this (see fig.1). You're walking down a trail in a forest, the path turns and churns but it never splits or forks. You know exactly where you're going and how you're going to get there or what you're going to see at the end. You may not know the exact turns or stops on the road but you know what's going to happen so to speak. And thus is the flaw of  every role playing game that's on a gaming console or a pc. You never find that fork in the road that gives you control of how you're going to reach the end of the path. You basically just chug away, hacking and slashing and 'modding' your character so (s)he can kill the big bad thing that threatens the world. Don't get me wrong, it's a fun experience but it get's rather stale after awhile. Which is why I believe that classic role playing games, or  J-RPG in some sects, are falling out of popularity.

The above has stayed true for the longest time for rpgs of the eastern origin.  Now if you look at a rpg from the west, you quickly notice a lot of different things. The story may be similar to the classic style rpgs, you're a hero chosen by something super natural and you must save the world. Typically you're given different methods to customize your character. These usually range from appearance, to stat progression, weapons and skills. The outcomes are limited of course, but it makes you feel more in control of your destiny. Now while the story may be similar you have your typical main story line you have to follow, however you are given a lot more freedom in how you get there (see fig. 2).

Let's go back to our forest path. Now instead of a winding path that goes all the way around the forest and takes a long time to get to the other side we're given different ways to reach this exit. You can cut straight trough the woods, dig a tunnel under the woods, build a flying machine and go over it, or walk the winding path but stop to smell the roses/shed some blood along the way. The choice is a lot more varied and open to how you want to do it. You aren't restricted by some programer telling you how to do things. This is what makes these games more appealing to the masses.

Now both games styles are popular and have cult followings. You mention a good JRPG like Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior (Quest) and people will eat it up like candy. But on the same coin if you mention a game from a developer like Bethesdia (Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series) or Bioware (Knight's of the Old Republic) and people flock to the store like a bunch of sheep. What makes one genre more appealing than the other? Nothing really, however; most 'casual*' gamers will opt for a JRPG over an 'Open Ended RPG' simply because they're more friendly for their play style/schedule. People who have minimal play time but what a rich and interesting experience will get a lot of enjoyment out of a game like Final Fantasy instead of a game like The Elder Scrolls. The reverse is true for the hardcore gamer, they'll enjoy both games equally, however The Elder Scrolls game would offer a richer experience.

I'm going to end this first part with that. It all boils down to personal preference and regional differences. However these major differences is what is causing these games to fall behind in popularity world wide and not have the same appeal as they used to.

*I mean casual in the sense the amount of playtime, not in the skill or game enjoyment levels. Only being able to play a few hours a day makes you a casual gamer despite your skill level in my opinion.