Recently, I began playing Dungeons and Dragons with some of my new friends who have been playing for years. And I must say, it has been quite the experience. I have learned much about it, but it has various differences from its descendants: RPG video games. The biggest difference is the actual presence of role playing.
I grew up playing games like Final Fantasy 7, Lufia 2, Tales of Symphonia, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, and other great Role Playing Games (RPGs). These games typical center around the character getting better, rather than the player. In games like Mario and countless others, the player must get better to ever have a chance at beating the game, and countless hours could be wasted trying to beat the same level with no progress. In RPG-type games, however, you’re always moving forward. The only time you go back in time is if you die, which is significantly less often than in games like Mario. And then when you have trouble, you just need to spend some more time improving your character, which is usually very straight-forward.
Another main feature of RPGs is that when you play them, you are assuming the role of the main character (and perhaps others along the way). This means anything you do, they do, and anything you want, they want. However, in video games, you have no real attachment to the characters. In most situations, you will choose whatever is most beneficial for the character, because that’s all you care about, because you’re the one playing the game. The other characters you interact with that you don’t control (Non-player characters (NPCs)) have virtually no meaning to you. Suppose you are playing the role of a law-abiding, caring, lovable space marine. Suppose you’re presented with the option of going to save someone’s child or going treasure hunting. One will almost undoubtedly say to yourself: “What do I get from saving the child?” If that answer comes up to be less game value than the alternative, you probably won’t do it.
“But wait!” you say. “I bet if I rescue her, her father will give me a reward!” Hm. That’s a good point. Now you’re really being selfish. You’re still thinking about yourself, and how it benefits you the most. This also applies to games with long-term goals and good-evil measurements. Sometimes you can choose to perform good or evil options throughout the game, but you usually choose one or the other expecting a valuable reward to come from it.
So perhaps you choose to be a good-hearted person at the beginning of a game. You’re doing all the right things, but then you’re provided with an opportunity to be evil that you just can’t turn down. It’s at this point that RPG video games break down. Your character, being the good person you’ve made him, would never choose that option. But because you’re a human, disconnected from the character, who has only his own selfish gain in mind, you are more than willing to break character and take the evil route.
This is how real role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons differ from the games I grew up playing. In Dungeons and Dragons, when you create a character, you set his alignment, which is essentially his or her personality and level of good/evil. During the game, you’re required to act according to this alignment. If you choose that you’re going to be good, you can’t choose a clearly-evil option that may work for the betterment of a player. You’re expected to act as though you are the actual character. You have to make the decisions he/she would make. If you’re playing a big, dumb orc, you can’t go to the library to research your enemy. All you know how to do is kill and eat. So that’s pretty much all you will do. When interacting with NPCs, you need to talk as your character would talk, say what he would say.
As you play Dungeons and Dragons, you really become connected with your character, and you want to act in their best interest, instead of your own. You become deeply concerned for their well-being. Today, our DnD party was in a very intense battle, in which two of our party members were killed. We were very close to defeating our enemy, but he was also very close to killing us. As it became our enemy’s turn to strike us, I felt genuine fear for the life of my character, and the success of our mission. If we failed, our journey meant nothing. (If you die in Dungeons and Dragons, you’re dead. You don’t have 3 lives, and you don’t get 1ups.)
This whole realm of actual role-playing is really new to me, even though it’s been around for ages. It requires a lot of patience, a lot of thought, and a lot of creativity. Most video games today are very linear. Go here, kill this dude, get cash, etc. But in DnD, you need to be able to think on your toes, come up with solutions to your problems that aren’t directly presented to you, all while being in character.
I would highly encourage DnD for anyone who likes RPGs, leveling up, and a great time!
