Variety

by Mike Lemmer

I would like to use this RPGamer editorial to tell you to put the RPGs down.

Yes, you heard me. Put the RPGs down.

Since the title of this site is RPGamer, all of you are RPG fans. Some of you are fanatics. You're the ones I'm directing this to.

Do you live, breathe, and dream RPGs? Do you constantly argue that RPGs are the superior form of gaming? Do you believe that everything else is inferior trash? Do you shun any game that doesn't have a plot? Then allow me to rip away the veil covering your eyes and scream a wake-up call in your ear.

You are depriving yourself, lying to yourself, saying you're a "gamer" when you're not. You want to know what a true "gamer" is? Let me tell you. A true gamer has tastes too varied to concentrate on one genre. A true gamer could rattle off a list of games they enjoy that have almost nothing in common. A true gamer has a shelf where a worn-out copy of "Myst" sits between "Starcraft" and "Baldur's Gate". A true gamer has experienced the joys of fragging and gibbing while being able to appreciate the complex strategy in a game of "Alpha Centauri". A true gamer checks out the latest and newest games, while still keeping a couple of quarters on hand for a good ol' game of Galaga, Mr. Do, or Pacman.

A true gamer knows that you can't judge a game on its graphics, its plot, or its genre. A true gamer judges a game on the one thing that permeates all games, past to present: the gameplay. The joystick of Pacman can provide as much fun as all the buttons used in the latest Final Fantasy game. A true gamer doesn't care that the graphics are old. A true gamer appreciates the same qualities that made it fun years ago: it's a simple, yet fast-paced game that can get the adrenaline running.

A true gamer doesn't limit their experience to a single type of game. A true gamer knows all the advantages and disadvantages of each genre. You know the person in the programming department thinking, "Why can't we combine the turn-based combat of war games with the character interaction and plot of RPGs?" They're a true gamer, too. By enjoying a variety of games, a true gamer can combine their favorites parts of each into a game that suddenly puts a refreshing spin on the tried-and-true.

Can you imagine my dismay when I discovered my summer class roommate didn't even TRY games that had no plot? All I could think was, "He's depriving himself of some of the best games to ever grace the market: Super Mario World, Tetris, Unreal Tournament, Civilization..." I encountered the same dilemma when I tried to convince an online pal of mine to listen to Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven". He refused, saying he only listened to anime music. How could I describe to him the haunting rock ballad, the barely-audible yet emotional lyrics, the heartfelt push at the end, the tingling feeling it gave you once it finished? You can't! Perhaps if his choice of music was more varied, he would listen to it, one of the great songs of American rock n' roll.

So to those of you that believe RPGs are the only games worth playing: Go out and try some other games! They may not have awesome graphics, they may not have a plot, they may not have multiplayer play, but they will have great gameplay. You won't be disappointed.

And to those of you that already have favorites from all genres: I salute you. Here's to the true gamers!

-Mike Lemmer