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You may or may not have pondered at some point in your game-playing
life over the merits of RPGs with medieval settings versus those with a
decidedly more futuristic, sci-fi tinged game world. Invariably, it may
come down to personal taste as to which 'flavor' an individual gamer may
prefer to experience when embarking on a potentially long-lasting role
playing adventure. Indeed, it would appear that many RPG fans are perfectly
capable of enjoying a traditional RPG with the obligatory medieval elements
thrown in as well as sci-fi influenced RPGs which seem to have come into
vogue in recent years if the popularity of the latest Final Fantasy games
(excluding XI of course) and the likes of Xenosaga are to be considered.
This is not to mention series' such as Star Ocean (and indeed many of the
latter Final Fantasy titles once again) which combine the two elements into
a generally convincing whole. The medieval world and sci-fi worlds both
have their place in terms of the RPG genre, of this there can be little
dispute. Perhaps most gamers don't care about the setting a great deal, if
other factors such as story, characters, graphics, music and battle system
take precedence. What is of most interest to me is the continued popularity
of RPGs with a medieval setting, despite the relatively narrow scope for
innovation and originality, especially when compared to the pioneering and
limitless possibilities the sci-fi genre, by its very nature, can add to a
game.
Nowhere more clearly is the popularity of the medieval setting seen
than in Japan's top selling RPG series, Dragon Quest. For twenty years the
series has remained a firm favourite, and at no point has this popularity
diminished; if anything, it has only continued to increase. This is despite
the fact that each entry in the series has remained very close to the
series' original roots, and nowhere is this typified moreso than in, yeah
you guessed it, the medieval setting of each game.
There is something about the medieval period which seemingly strikes
a chord with those of an RPG persuasion, and this stems right back to the
D&D board games which ignited the genre in the first place. This is seen through the
romantic, idyllic, enchanting setting: a world of kings and kingdoms,
dragons and dragon slayers, swords and sorcery. Why is this such a popular
fantasy cocktail? I can only speak from personal experience, but such a
setting seems to offer the possibility of adventure and intrigue. The
commonly perceived notion is of lands filled with fairy tale castles, ruins
and long lost treasure, endless rolling hills and forests, quaint little
villages, bustling market places and strange creatures, and folk in funny
clothes. It's a medieval ideal, passed down to us in countless stories, and
yet it never seems to get boring. This can only be because it connects with
something within us; those yearning for adventure will find 'ye old world'
setting a palatable and satisfying remedy.
In many ways the RPG genre and medieval world are intrinsically
linked, and certainly RPGs are ideally suited to such a setting, however far
from the truth the perceived medieval notion may be. In reality, the
medieval period was a rather grim time to live for the average man. Life was
a constant battle for sustenance, and work in both the towns and countryside
was tough. Interestingly, it would seem that even people of the time
yearned for tales of adventure, despite living in the medieval fantasy world
that many modern RPG fans like to immerse themselves in. In medieval
stories such as Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, heroic men
traverse the land, travelling across treacherous terrain and engaging in
battle with great beasts. It would appear that humans throughout the ages
have always craved adventure, only now we have the means to interactively
pursue such desires in the form of videogames.
But still the question remains, why medieval? The answer can only be
that this time period lends itself so perfectly to the RPG genre. It is
useful that contemporary medieval society isn't so backward and alien that
modern audiences would not be able to relate to it, and both societies have
many things in common such as family values, business and commerce. Also the
notions of humor, love, happiness and sadness remain, for the most part, the
same. These things obviously lend themselves well to RPGs. Then we have
the towns and castles, often fortified with the threat of war ever present,
and although I'm far from the war-mongering type, there can be little doubt
that this creates a sense of danger and excitement. Needless to say, the
political intrigue and rise and fall of kingdoms and kingships in the
medieval period can form the basis of a great RPG story; one only needs to
look as far as the Suikoden series to see that. That's not to mention the
unspoilt landscapes, importance of religion and tales of strange creatures
which are not only prominent features of the real medieval world as far as
we know, but are found as central themes in a whole host of RPGs.
All in all, the importance of the medieval setting to the RPG genre
cannot be underestimated. Maybe it's down to personal choice, but I know
I'd rather be wielding a sword, conversing in a castle or shopping in an old
market town rather than having robots for sidekicks and exploring monotonous
metallic corridors... but maybe I'm just old-fashioned...
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