HISTORY OF RPG'S PART I: EARLY RPG'S

Role-Playing games probably seem like a mainstray in today's videogame world. But in the past, they were always trying to achieve worldwide acceptance. They were almost never very popular.

The first Role-Playing Games weren't computer related at all. Dungeons and Dragons was, and still is, an immenssely popular tabletop game consisting of one "Dungeon Master" as well as the adventurers. The DM's job was essentially equal to narrator; they explained the enviorment and took control of monsters and NPC's (Non-Player Characters). Oftentimes there were a number of adventurers who formed a "party" and worked together to solve puzzles and defeat monsters. Players earned "experience" points, which, when acculminated enough, allowed the player to "level up" and become stronger.

This simple "party and experience" system would become the basis for modern RPG's (though a Dungeon Master-type character is often missing). But before Final Fantasy, before the mainstream popularity, when videogames were first starting out, there were text-based adventures.

Text-based adventures, sometimes called "interactive fiction," could be surprisingly deep. Consisting almost entirely of text (later ones occasionally had simple graphics), the standout feature of these games was the freedom. By entering simple commands ("go north," "take gold"), players advanced through the game talking to townspeople engaging monsters, and some even had top-down letter-based maps and even inplemented line of sight. Some of these games are even avalible on the web for browser-based gameplay.

Part II coming soon!