RPGs

by Mistress Nightshadow

Well, this was present within RPGamer recently. As an author of certain editorials which address certain topics, I wish to ask a few questions to Mr. Haller.

My first question. How are we actually paying money for this loss of money? You argue that we lose money because of the fact that you lost money from brood wars due to the fact that you weren't working. [$16/hr*350 hours= $5400] Now the first question is how do you lose that money when realistically, one can't work 24/7? Unless you are actively losing money due to the fact that you're playing when you are supposed to be working, you can't be losing anything. Why? because when you are idle, your pay =$0. Meaning that 'Video games, in all fairness, are a waste of time' can't really be a waste if the time you have being otherwise idle is used. Even if RPGs had a value of $0/an hour, you still wouldn't be losing anything, because you're still being paid nothing for playing an RPG or doing nothing.

Another Question. You have put "Studying, reading, writing, and exercising are all available, and are status-improving things." Now my question is why does not an RPG fall under that catogry? They are stories just like any other, like what you would pick up in any academic material you would be reading within a high school to do in most English Subjects. They have theme, they have character relationships, they have morality issues...

Wait a second, this sounds awfully familiar. I think I wrote the same thing when I wrote Academic RPGs. Unless you are going to argue that school studies are indeed a waste of time, and are not status improving, I'd be inclined to withdraw that statement, at least when it applies to RPGs. If you do believe that, that means my whole HSC year was a complete waste of time, and English shouldn't have been worth anything, as well as many other thousands of students within Australia... and countless others around the world studying stories from classics to new age novels for academic reasons were just wasting their time.

Another point. We all don't play RPGs for the "mind-numbingly stupid battles". Some might, but myself, as well as many others do not. [Look within the archives of RPGamer's Editorial section, and see what some of us play for.] I, speaking for myself, play RPGs because of the story they tell, and how they present such a story. I see the RPG as a medium for telling a story, just like books, poems and songs do. This is my opinion, and I don't speak for everyone, but I know that there is more to the RPG that attracts people all around the world other than the battles. It may attract some, but it does not represent the majority.

I must also bring up another point. Anything that tells a story, be it true or false, from your articles to your novels, take time to read and let the story be known. For some things, like extended coverage on an event or a very long and extended story, they require several pages on a newspaper over several days, a hardcover bibilography, or maybe a series of books. RPGs I have played have a storyline which needs time to play out... usually anywhere between twenty and fifty hours on average to see. You may argue that you don't spend as much time as that reading a book... well, pick up a copy of The Wheel of Time. This series is somewhere between 7 or 8 books, and it details just the one story. Each book is also in excess of 500 pages each, and I'm sure they top 1000. In detail, down to every event which is shown, from nearly every prespective. Many RPGs often bring something very close to that. I'll admit that it is a bit extreme, but read David Eddings or Anne McCaffery. They have books galore, most series, just detailing just the one story happening over time. They take me hours to read... and they can tell just the same story that one RPG could. Stories are hard to compare, but if a series of books needs 10-20 hours to read. [I'm a fast reader though... that's just my times, and the Wheel of Time I never finished... I gave up after book 4, and at that stage took me 23 hours to read.] Is it unreasonable that an RPG, which is another often expanded story, to reach such times?

Also, if it is very reasonable to read a book again because you like a story, why can't RPGs have that ability to replay, to enjoy the experiences that they once had again?

"Video games should be short, sweet, and enjoyable."

I don't know about you, but having an epic story which in it's rights take twenty to thirty hours to read to fully present a story being cut down short and sweet to ten hours doesn't sound too appealing. Something HAS to be lost out of it. With the RPG, I believe the same should be applied.

"To hell With Replaying!"

To hell with that for RPGs. I can't enjoy another medium to present a story because of it if this occured.

If you like to comment on what has gone to pass, that you'd like to say that replay value has it's place, you'd like to say 'To hell with that!' about my arguments, or you'd just like to know why I have read so many Fantasy Books, drop me a line at nightshadow_007@angelfire.com about it. If you like to say to hell with this though, could you please tell me where I can get a travel agent to plan my trip to hell?