The next generation of consoles is upon us. PS4 and XBox One will make their way into living rooms across the world this holiday season. We now know what to look forward to and we're buzzing with excitement. The games we will soon be playing, the heroes we will be meeting, the experiences we will be sharing; all this wonder and adventure await.  Without looking at what games lie on the horizon and focusing only on E3, we all know it: Sony stole the show at this year's press conference. No DRM, offline compatible, acceptance of used games. This is all great news for gamers and now that the two giants have put their chips on the table it comes down to us. Who will we side with? Who will come out victorious?

Of course I'm ready to vote with my dollars, but a question burns in my mind. What will the next generation bring with respect to Role Playing games? No doubt we will see graphical advances, more frantic battles, and temples so realistic you'd think you're actually there. But what about the stories to be told? The lessons to be learned? The emotional bonds to be formed?


What I'm really asking is will future RPGs make me care about what's going on within the worlds they present? To put this into perspective I am emotionally invested in Ni No Kuni's , Oliver because I feel  his love for his mother echoes my love for mine, but I don't really feel like I will gain anything from seeing his story through to the end. Oliver seems to be a likable young boy, one with manners, respect, and a level head. But his friends are not as deep, and they appear to be merely tagging along for the ride. I mean their stakes in the journey aren't as compelling as Oliver's. On the other hand, I felt driven to guide Tidus and his companions to the conclusion of Final Fantasy X. Tidus needed Yuna and her guardians just as much they needed him. They completed each other and together they completed the story. It was a perfectly symbiotic relationship that created a masterpiece video game.

Like a novel, a game must follow a satisfying narrative arc if it is to be worth our time. During gameplay and cutscenes which the player has earned the gamer has to learn about the hero's motivations and, upon the end credits, have made a connection to the cast and story. Film can accomplish this in two hours while some games fail to do so over forty hours. RPGs must use their medium expertly to convey their messages clearly and succinctly or they will fall by the way side. If the audience is intelligent enough they will glean from the story, the message needn't be shoved in our faces. Setting, conflict, and drama will be lost if they're shallow or gratuitous. I will still gladly enter a fantastical realm of monsters and magic but it must have meaning. Summoning fierce deities will still be fun, however I want to earn this power instead of receiving it as a means to continue the plot. I want a juicy steak with my gravy. The upcoming RPGs must deliver on this or else their fate simply doesn't look promising. If an Action-Adventure set in an fungal virus infected apocalypse promises more of an emotional roller coaster ride, RPG developers have to shift gears to avoid becoming cliche romps through beast riddled caverns.

I've saved the world from hell-bent rivals hundreds of times. Now I want to look inside so as to make sense of the outside. Rescuing a character from a descent into madness or teaching the faithless heroine to be able to love will be enthralling. A demonic backdrop would still work. The monsters confronted during gameplay would be physical representations of the protagonist's inner turmoil. If we must continue to analyze the world around us consider defeating an alien race which would in turn teach of the dangers of misanthropy or a tainted moral compass. That would make for a wonderful story.


The oral tradition is a characteristic trait of humans. We need stories as they are the vessels used to relay culture, values, beliefs, and morals. The genre is by its very nature conducive to story-telling and as such I know these kinds of games can very well be the modern equivalent of Aesop's fables. Inasmuch I believe these games need to be thought provoking in order to earn their place among the greats - to stand the test of time. They need to be significant if they intend to be relevant. It's been twenty years since Secret of Mana hit the SNES and it's still relevant today. We're still discussing Final Fantasy VII after sixteen years. We will look back on Dragon's Dogma with as much admiration in five years time? Perhaps the Mass Effect trilogy will be the exception, but those are only three games from a vast console library. Will the Role Playing games of the early 2000s be as essential as those of the early 1990s?

I accept that the halcyon days of RPGs ended long ago, but could there be a resurgence of great games just beyond the horizon? Will Noctis (Final Fantasy XV) or the hero of Capcom's yet-to-be-named game make their way into our psyche? It's time RPGs break the shackles they put around their wrists and take note from other video game genres, even film and literature. The future leaves us with many questions but that is to be expected. We should not fear the unknown, nor should we tread these uncharted waters with hesitation. Embrace the wonderment that is set to grace our TVs. Should we be disappointed, remember that we have two power weapons at our disposal. They are our voices and our wallets. I won't go so far as to say the future of gaming, and RPGs in particular, is bleak but it is uncertain. Uncertainty, though, is exciting. Just like coming home to a surprise party, loading the next epic journey could be just what we wanted.

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