Maybe young people don't understand RPG

[AppleQueso]

^there's also the fact that Morrowind doesn't necessarily even have to be played in first person.

[isiolia]

That's fine. It may in fact be the case that "RPG" works better as a catch-all term now, rather than it's more specific roots. I don't really care to argue definitions here. If you want to co-opt the term RPG, you can have it (though I'd argue that your broader definition is so broad as to be meaningless). But I know you understand what I'm referring to. What should I call it instead of RPG to minimize confusion?

I'm not co-opting anything. The term is that broad. That's why I linked to the Wikipedia article about role playing games earlier (and again! ): to illustrate that this isn't my personal definition. It's the general definition of the term.

Given how subdivided cRPGs tend to be, it'd seems like you'd need to specify anyway. If you were being particular, most of those style games would fall under turn-based or active pause combat systems.

^there's also the fact that Morrowind doesn't necessarily even have to be played in first person.

Neither does Oblivion for that matter, or the other Gamebryo based ones if I recall.

Main thing I would think with Morrowind/etc is that they tend to be very open. I remember going to Morrowind after Neverwinter Nights and just basically being lost for lack of direction.

After playing some MMOs though, the Bethesda model makes a lot more sense (though I still have a hard time getting really into Oblivion...Fallout 3/NV I consumed in a ravenous fashion, Oblivion I can't seem to get past the "meh" stage on).

[Xeogred]

I personally hated Oblivion and Fallout 3, but loved New Vegas.

[Zing]

It's easier for a kid to sit down and play a 20 minute session of CoD than it is to play an RPG for a few hours.

I think it comes with patience, which is something most kids don't have.

What the hell? I used to sit and play video games for hours. My parents actually complained to me about the Dragon Warrior music because I played it so much. I was around 13 years old at the time. What age "kids" only play games for 20 minutes at a time? If this is actually the situation these days, then I truly feel sorry for this generation.

[saturnfan]

It's easier for a kid to sit down and play a 20 minute session of CoD than it is to play an RPG for a few hours.

I think it comes with patience, which is something most kids don't have.

What the hell? I used to sit and play video games for hours. My parents actually complained to me about the Dragon Warrior music because I played it so much. I was around 13 years old at the time. What age "kids" only play games for 20 minutes at a time? If this is actually the situation these days, then I truly feel sorry for this generation.

I'm with you on this. When I was a kid, my parents had a rule for a while that on weekends I couldn't play video games after 12 noon (until after dinner I think). So I would wake up at like 5am and play games solidly until noon.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

It's easier for a kid to sit down and play a 20 minute session of CoD than it is to play an RPG for a few hours.

I think it comes with patience, which is something most kids don't have.

What the hell? I used to sit and play video games for hours. My parents actually complained to me about the Dragon Warrior music because I played it so much. I was around 13 years old at the time. What age "kids" only play games for 20 minutes at a time? If this is actually the situation these days, then I truly feel sorry for this generation.

I don't think you understand, it's not the sitting and playing games in general for hours that's the problem. They just can't sit and play one game for hours on end. Nothing holds their attention.

[ZeroAX]

oh come on guys. Let's not kid ourselves. The reason young people don't play JRPGs (cause WRPGs are doing fine) is that the genre has gotten stale. And the biggest problem is that the big hitter, the genre's poster child, Final Fantasy, just isn't so good anymore.

The series has been going downhill ever since (itself included) FF10, and people just lot interest in a series which doesn't get better (as a whole, cause some games have had huge improvements in certain areas, but dropped in quality in others) compared to other new experiences pushed by big games (see how the success of GTA3 VC and SA created a huge market for sandbox games, and the success of COD created a huge market for console FPS games).

What the genre needs is a big amazing game that everyone will love, on the HD consoles (if Xenoblade had been released for them it might have done the job, though god knows how much money it would cost to make that game with HD art assets), and everyone will play JRPGs again, cause they loved the new poster child and would love to try out another game in the same genre.

[Runefaust]

It's all dependent on background and interests.

I have a five year old son who's a GATE student, and video games have played a huge role in getting him ahead in his education. I'm using RPGs to give him further incentive to learn how to read. It's usually really hard to get a five year old to sit down for a prolonged period of time, but if I pop in an RPG, especially any installation of the Shining series, he'll sit down for hours and watch the game.

On D&D nights my son gets involved and I even have small RP sessions with him. With pen an' paper I create HP/MP bars and spells, craft a boss out of Legos and he'll come up with creative ways to down the boss. He also loves books, thanks to his mom, and comic books thanks to me, lol! So really, it's all dependent on their background and their exposure to the RP scene in general.

My son becomes ecstatic when I tell him I'm going to play games like Shining the Holy Ark, Final Fantasy VI, Mario RPG, Faxanadu and Breath of Fire. so there's no lack of interest in RPGs for this youth at least.

[deathsled]

The key platformer mechanic is that success in combat depends on your character hitting the enemy on the head, which means playing the Dragoon in FF and using the jump command is playing a platformer. That's what platformer means in its traditional context. This also means that shooting (ex. Megaman, Contra) is incompatible with platformers.

you're being sarcastic right?

the key platformer mechanic is that you run and jump between different levels/platforms....combat doesn't even have to be a factor.

[o.pwuaioc]

The key platformer mechanic is that success in combat depends on your character hitting the enemy on the head, which means playing the Dragoon in FF and using the jump command is playing a platformer. That's what platformer means in its traditional context. This also means that shooting (ex. Megaman, Contra) is incompatible with platformers.

you're being sarcastic right?

the key platformer mechanic is that you run and jump between different levels/platforms....combat doesn't even have to be a factor.

Actually, running is optional. ;)