Are RPG games overrated?

I feel like it's my least liked genre. I tried to do everything to like it. Nothing works. But then I'm like why do so many people like the genre?? It's the most popular one.

Then I come back to me and I want to throw up whenever I try one.

I feel like, in real life, if everybody was taking turns doing actions or, say, hitting each other, it's not how real life works.

But let's say action or adventure or sports games. You can actually learn a lot from these, and it sort of makes sense.

Now I'm not saying RPG games are bad games. I'm not criticizing the developers either. What I'm eluding to is that I don't find these kind of games very fun. And 80% of gamers do. I'd like to get in on the craze. Someone mentioned once that RPG gamers like stats and leveling up. But, who in their right mind wants to worry about Math in games.

Pretty sure the most popular genre is the puzzle genre.

Turn based combat is great, especially for tactical games. Combat in Jagged Alliance is so much more satisfying than the combat in say... The Legend of Zelda. As for stats and levelling up. The appeal there is the dopamine rush from levelling up, and from stats comes the ability to provide the illusion of giving players agency over how their palythrough goes.

My favorite genre is the strategy genre though. But I do like RPGs too.

@outworld222: Turn-based RPGs are certainly not the most popular genre. Just look at every non-Japanese (or heavily Japan-inspired) RPG on the market today. None of the popular ones are turn-based, and jRPGs only get away with it because they have small enough budgets and a strong niche market.

Welcome to video games. Everything doesn't have to make sense.

And, shooter is the most popular genre by far.

And as to your question, no, RPG's aren't overrated.

RPG's aren't overrated. Just look at how well the recent Shadowrun and Pillars of Eternity have sold. You should learn the difference between when something is overrated and when it simply isn't your preference OP.

I abhor sports and card games but I'd never call them overrated. I fully understand that there are millions of gamers that find value in all ranges of those genres but they simply aren't my cup of tea. Besides, who the hell wants homogenized gaming dumbed down enough to appeal to everyone?

Yuck.

Stick to what you like and leave the other genres alone. It's perfectly normal to have genres you're not interested in.

Nope, I don't think the RPG genre is overrated at all. The JRPG genre is probably my overall favourite. Nothing will appeal to everyone though and that's fine.

I don't understand your question. Whether or not you like something has nothing to do with whether or not it's overrated. You don't have to like it. It's my favorite genre of game and just about all I play. But it's totally fine if you think RPG's are dumb. I could care less. But it still has nothing to do with anything being overrated.

It's not just about stat building, it's character building. People like RPGs because they can become powerful and stronger much easier than they could in the real world.

A game that lets you grow and develop is much better than one that just drops you in a world and tells you to shoot stuff.

if you want realism, do a driving simulator, video games don't have to be realistic. Here are some good rpgs:

Hey OP, next time you make a thread, think twice before you make the title.

You're assuming all RPGs are the same. They are not. Not even close.

This goes same for all other genres. Not all games in those genres are created equal. That, and not everyone is gonna have the same opinion about even ONE title in that particular genre.

-_- C'mon man.

You assume all RPGs are turn-based, which is simply not true. So your post is very misinformed.

A lot of people like driving games; I don't. Not every genre is for everyone.

I would not say RPG are overrated. I find the word overrated to be buzz words and one of the more worthless words in gaming like innovation and immersion.

When done well stats add some much to the game and affect your character(s) role in the game play.

I thought the most popular genre is FPS and FPS point of vue whatever style of game.

Videogames don't have to be realist to be fun.

turn based RPG offer a layer of strategy that more action oriented game could never dream of

No they are not.

How can an entire genre be "overrated"? Seems to me that anyone who makes such a claim simply prefers another genre.

+1

◉_◉ (whispers) noooooooooooooo

I love RPGs of all kinds. The good ones offer a lot of options for customization and they usually tell good stories, too. Plus they often have killer soundtracks. It varies from a game to game basis but that's the general reason I like the genre.

@outworld222: Something being "overrated" is an opinion. So it will depend on who you ask.

RPGs are my favourite type of game so I personally don't think so. I think plenty of games are overrated Fallout 4 is one of them. As are most of Naughty Dogs games. But they are only overrated to me, others will and do disagree.

No. RPGs are not overrated. They are, however, intended for a smarter audience. That's probably the issue here.

Certain sub-genres of RPGs ARE overrated imho. JRPGs have been stagnant for years, with cliche characters and stories. Long past are the days of Chrono Trigger and FF6, 7, 8, and 9. Modern JRPGs are just grindy and linear. Many will disagree, but to me JRPGs best days are behind them.

MMORPGs are also overrated, again imho. The industry leader, WoW hasn't done much to innovate, other than completely destroy crafting and implement a phone like mini-game call garrisons. The story is still primarily told through text and aside from dungeons there is little reason to group. Also, exploration isn't worth your time in WoW. Other MMOs are coming out all the time, but they don't feel like MMOs back in the early MMO days TO ME. Give me an MMO like Sword Art Online ^^.

My favorite RPGs now are actually games like Mass Effect, Witcher, Fallout, ect. Games that let you choose how to play the main protagonist and how to complete quests. I also like strategy RPGs like Pillars of Eternity and Divinity.

Why don't you tell us what RPG games you've played and didn't like? Maybe you've played some bad ones.

I find many of the new wrpg to have gotten worse than stagnant.

@wiouds: Like whatt? Other than Fallout 4, I can't think of any personally.