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What is this all about?

Ah, that timeless question; Continue? Quite possibly one of the first choices ever posed to a young gamer, in those musty old arcades. Besides the choice of whether you wanted to pay the arcade another fifty-cents, there hasn't been much meaningful choice making in video games until recently, with the popularization of the Role-Playing Game(RPG) genre. What will be provided in this blog, is an exploration of the genre as it pertains to choice, player agency, and the evolution of choice-making and how it impacts storytelling. It will include my opinions, and the opinions and findings of other researchers and developers in the industry.

Of course, every RPG--and there are thousands-- can't be covered within the scope of this blog, but it will attempt to cover major players when it comes to choice-making, such as Mass Effect, The Witcher, and others. And if you were worried that the venerable (but still very much relevant) pen and paper games would be left out, don't be, they will get the spotlight as well; we wouldn't be here without them. So join me, as we explore this time-tested genre, and one of the most exciting aspects of it; crafting your own legend with the power of choice.

A Bit About Me

I'm Cameron, a university student currently studying Arts and Technology at The University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, Texas. I'm mostly focusing on character rigging and technical animation, but one of my passions has always been gaming and game design. And of course, my favorite genre since I first picked up Final Fantasy VII as a kid, has always been the Role-Playing Game.

NEXT TIME: A Little History Lesson