The RPG genre has a long, colorful history that not many may remember. From its humble origins of tabletop gaming to more recent in-depth experiences featuring full character customization, it’s certainly come a long way. Compared to how they were before, RPGs in 2024 look different, play differently, and even have entirely different design philosophies. Peel back its layers, though, and you’ll see at its core that its fundamental ideas remain the same.

The Humble Beginnings

Roleplaying as a concept has existed as far back as the ancient times, with things like gladitorial reenactments of history, theater plays, and even games. However, what we know as roleplaying games only truly came to be around the 1970’s, with the creation of the Dungeons and Dragons franchise. An article elaborates just how influential it was, and it makes sense why. Dungeons and Dragons didn’t just ask you to play - it asked specifically for players to play a “role.”

This little tabletop game was an instant hit, and asked its players to play as different characters in its own unique setting. Knights, Clerics, Wizards, and Warriors battled against all sorts of creatures and monsters that lay in the darkness. Limited as its scope was, it nevertheless became a hit and would inspire what most people would call “The First RPG games.”

Image courtesy of Richard Garriot’s Akalabeth via GOG

These would be games like Akalabeth: World of Doom in 1979 or Sir-Tech’s Wizardry in 1981. They were simple, yes, using simple text and ASCII characters to represent foes and obstacles, but their creation was a proof of concept that showed that roleplaying games could actually work with enough effort.

The creation of these games eventually inspired newer, better ones to come out, and all of them took the initial concept these beginning RPGs made and expanded upon it.

The Age of Pre-Modern RPGs

This is when games called “blobbers” became popular: dungeon crawlers in first perspectives, where parties of players traveled around a map, slaying foes and looting treasure. Their first-person style perspective made them easy to identify, and while they were relatively simple, their core gameplay loop was addictive enough that people began to innovate on it as well.

Image courtesy of Forgotten Realms: Archive 1 via GOG

In time, however, these simpler experiences like what Akalabeth did, where combat and exploration took centerstage, soon began to give way. Franchises like Might and Magic popped up, combining tales of magic and technology in an ever-changing fantasy world. Games like Eye of the Beholder and Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall saw a more intimate focus on story-telling. Perspectives started to shift, with games like Blizzard’s Diablo and Interplay’s Fallout going isometric. It wasn’t just about the gameplay anymore; it now focused on telling a tale worth hearing.

The Bioware Formula: The “Modern” RPG

Bioware’s Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn is what I could call the grandfather of all modern RPGs. It has the tropes of every modern RPG you can think of - companion quests, romances, and a home location you can go back to. It let you influence the story, changed up how you interacted with party members, and, above all, it strived to give players a sandbox experience where their choices truly mattered and their actions had meaning.

Image courtesy of Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition via GOG

When RPGs are brought up, it’s arguable that the DNA of Baldur’s Gate II can be found in it. Who would’ve guessed that this wasn’t thanks to a new push in technology or a new style of game development? It was all thanks to Final Fantasy VII.

In an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun, Bioware writer James Ohlen talked about how this hit JRPG single-handedly made Bioware reevaluate their Baldur’s Gate characters. The initial cast they had envisioned had nowhere near Final Fantasy VII’s depth, and so efforts were made to match its writing. A push was made to change how Baldur’s Gate II approached its characters, and that change made RPGs what they are today.

Image courtesy of Final Fantasy VII ( Classic ) via Steam

Games like Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age took this to heart, and the trend soon followed. Eventually, every RPG game tried to emulate the same ideas and focused on player choice.

Stagnation and Possible Resurgence?

That didn’t stop RPGs from falling out of favor, though. While games like Mass Effect and Skyrim still proved to be popular, the genre’s popularity was slowly fading. Like other genres before it, RPGs were slowly being phased out as people leaned towards other titles. While developers like Obsidian and CDPR kept the flame going with titles like Pillars of Eternity and Witcher 3, RPGs were not the landmark genre they once were.

Image courtesy of Witcher 3: Complete Edition via GOG

All that might change, though. The recent success of the genre has given fans some newfound hope. Larian Studio’s Baldur’s Gate III has met universal acclaim, showing that RPGs can still appeal to modern audiences. Likewise, upcoming RPG games like Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Avowed have managed to stir some interest in the public eye.

While future prospects remain unclear, one thing is certain. The interest is still there. Companies are slowly testing the water once again, and veteran developers like Josh Sawyer still remain eager to try their hand at the genre. The future of RPG gaming hinges on these different factors, and a possible resurgence might just be in the cards, as long as the quality of its games remains high.

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This article was written by Alexander Cuaycong.