Computer RPGs

The electronic medium in computer RPGs removes the necessity of having a Dungeon Master. Instead of one player having to “take charge” of managing the game world and all that’s in it, the computer programming does the job for you. The computer also manages the rules and randomization. Though they are still there, these game tools are nearly intangible in a computer RPG, yet many of the thematic RPG elements of tabletop RPGs are visibly prevalent in computer RPGs.


In a computer RPG, a player controls one or several adventuring party members fulfilling one or many quests. The electronic medium has progressed from simple text-based adventures, where all the story and player decisions had to be made in the form of text (such as instructions given like “Use KEY on DOOR”), like in the historically acclaimed game Zork, to rich immersive 3D graphics you see today.


Computer RPGs can be as simple and straightforward as pick-your-path game books, with a branching storyline and obvious decisions the player must make, or more open-ended and complex, with a huge fantasy world ripe for exploration and multiple side-quests the player can undertake any time she wants to.


Even though I refer to them as computer RPGs, contemporary electronic RPGs are found in many video game media, including consoles, handhelds, and mobile phones. They are programmed on a computer first and then ported to the appropriate output platform.