'JRPG' is not a genre, you fools!

[QUOTE="DraugenCP"]

Apparently, this guy is pretty notorious on the Spoony forums for being a massive weeaboo who will accuse anyone that even uses the word "Japanese" in relation to video games as racist. Just thought I'd let you know.

AmazonTreeBoa

There is no definition for a JRPG or WRPG. Those terms just tell you where the game was made, not what kind of RPG it is. Mass Effect is a WRPG. Not because of how it plays, but because of where it is from. If you are going to tell what type of RPG it is, you would say it is an action RPG, or an action WRPG. Saying a game is JRPS doesn't imply what type of game it is, just what region it us from. TC is just reading WAY to much into it and interpreting it wrong. I have Bastion on PC, but haven't really played it because my CPU is acting stupid and I need to build a new PC. But what little I did play was awesome.AmazonTreeBoa

But nationality of developer? What does it tell you about the game?SciFiRPGfan

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]There is no definition for a JRPG or WRPG. Those terms just tell you where the game was made, not what kind of RPG it is. Mass Effect is a WRPG. Not because of how it plays, but because of where it is from. If you are going to tell what type of RPG it is, you would say it is an action RPG, or an action WRPG. Saying a game is JRPS doesn't imply what type of game it is, just what region it us from. TC is just reading WAY to much into it and interpreting it wrong. I have Bastion on PC, but haven't really played it because my CPU is acting stupid and I need to build a new PC. But what little I did play was awesome.SciFiRPGfan

Maybe it coudl do with the fact that the only real major game developer in that region is JAPAN historically.. So pretty much 9.5 out of 10 times when a game comes from that area its from Japan.. And the reason why JRPG's are used is because of obvious traits most of them share that can easily point out the minute you start the game.. Whether its gameplay mechanics, art style, story, etc etc.. Same goes for WRPG's.. Now the reason why its called WRPG's is because there are several countries that have devolpers release games from.. Even then many wrpg's share similarities with one another..

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]There is no definition for a JRPG or WRPG. Those terms just tell you where the game was made, not what kind of RPG it is. Mass Effect is a WRPG. Not because of how it plays, but because of where it is from. If you are going to tell what type of RPG it is, you would say it is an action RPG, or an action WRPG. Saying a game is JRPS doesn't imply what type of game it is, just what region it us from. TC is just reading WAY to much into it and interpreting it wrong. I have Bastion on PC, but haven't really played it because my CPU is acting stupid and I need to build a new PC. But what little I did play was awesome.SciFiRPGfan

I don't wish to spam my own blog, but I've given this question some thought lately, and I don't think it's as irrelevant as one might think, even though I'm willing to concede that genre terms and subclassifications are generalisations almost by default.Anyway, I wrote a little article on it.DraugenCP

And I agree. At least I think so...

Once there is "enough" of games with specific characteristics, be it gameplay mechanics, atmosphere, art-style or approach to story, I am all for grouping them into a new (sub)genre and labeling them with something distinctive like nationality or region or ... whatever.

The thing I was reacting to though, is the mindset that "every rpg made in Japan has to be JRPG" by default (JRPG as genre, not as RPG just made in Japan). Which to me would imply, that the distinctive feature, that divides RPGs into JRPGs and non-JRPGs (WRPGs?) is the location / nationality of the developer and not, like you have written in your blog, the inherent charactersitics of the game (in your case - more depressing and "raw" atmosphere, emphasis on realism in case of Eastern European games like ARMA, Stalker, Metro).

And that's the thing. If there was such genre as "Eastern European"... mmm... let's say action games, it is very likely that the games that would fall within such genre would have to "meet" most of criteria of said genre. Not just be made in Eastern Europe - e.g. Mafia (arguably).

Maybe it coudl do with the fact that the only real major game developer in that region is JAPAN historically.. So pretty much 9.5 out of 10 times when a game comes from that area its from Japan.. And the reason why JRPG's are used is because of obvious traits most of them share that can easily point out the minute you start the game.. Whether its gameplay mechanics, art style, story, etc etc.. Same goes for WRPG's.. Now the reason why its called WRPG's is because there are several countries that have devolpers release games from.. Even then many wrpg's share similarities with one another..sSubZerOo

Again, you are reading too much into it. Seeing for some reason, such a simple easy answer is flying right over your head and can't manage to answer your own simple silly question, I will answer.........It tells you where the game is from.........:shock:AmazonTreeBoa

Wow TC, can't believe a simple term gets you this worked up? I don't see why this matters. The term isn't technically correct, but everyone understands the simply typed acronyms easily enough.

It's just like the Mac vs. PC argument. I'm not going to say "Windows-based PC" everytime I want to have this discussion with someone when there's a simpler (albiet less correct) way of saying it that gets my point across just as well.

These things are just words, unwind the stress a little...

[QUOTE="DraugenCP"]I don't wish to spam my own blog, but I've given this question some thought lately, and I don't think it's as irrelevant as one might think, even though I'm willing to concede that genre terms and subclassifications are generalisations almost by default.Anyway, I wrote a little article on it.SciFiRPGfan

And I agree. At least I think so...

Once there is "enough" of games with specific characteristics, be it gameplay mechanics, atmosphere, art-style or approach to story, I am all for grouping them into a new (sub)genre and labeling them with something distinctive like nationality or region or ... whatever.

The thing I was reacting to though, is the mindset that "every rpg made in Japan has to be JRPG" by default (JRPG as genre, not as RPG just made in Japan). Which to me would imply, that the distinctive feature, that divides RPGs into JRPGs and non-JRPGs (WRPGs?) is the location / nationality of the developer and not, like you have written in your blog, the inherent charactersitics of the game (in your case - more depressing and "raw" atmosphere, emphasis on realism in case of Eastern European games like ARMA, Stalker, Metro).

And that's the thing. If there was such genre as "Eastern European"... mmm... let's say action games, it is very likely that the games that would fall within such genre would have to "meet" most of criteria of said genre. Not just be made in Eastern Europe - e.g. Mafia (arguably).

Maybe it coudl do with the fact that the only real major game developer in that region is JAPAN historically.. So pretty much 9.5 out of 10 times when a game comes from that area its from Japan.. And the reason why JRPG's are used is because of obvious traits most of them share that can easily point out the minute you start the game.. Whether its gameplay mechanics, art style, story, etc etc.. Same goes for WRPG's.. Now the reason why its called WRPG's is because there are several countries that have devolpers release games from.. Even then many wrpg's share similarities with one another..sSubZerOo

Dark Souls/Demon's Souls I never see called a jrpg here.. Because its elements are decidedly not.. And thast why its used is because the greatest distinction between rpg's outside of a sub genre is based upon that cultural divide.

Dark Souls/Demon's Souls I never see called a jrpg here.. Because its elements are decidedly not.. And thast why its used is because the greatest distinction between rpg's outside of a sub genre is based upon that cultural divide.sSubZerOo

dont hold me responsible for any side effects that may be experienced:-

http://uk.gamespot.com/forums/topic/28952948/for-those-in-denial-dark-souls-is-jrpg-not-a-wrpg

http://uk.gamespot.com/playstation-3/forum/demons-dark-souls-are-jrpg-not-one-single-wrpg-can-compete-with-them-63172930/

http://uk.gamespot.com/dark-souls/forum/has-dark-souls-finally-shut-up-all-the-jrpg-haters-61526234/

http://uk.gamespot.com/forums/topic/29289369/so-dark-souls-is-better-than-any-recent-wrpg...?page=5

http://uk.gamespot.com/dark-souls/forum/dark-souls-jrpg-or-wrpg-61870847/?page=1

http://uk.gamespot.com/forums/topic/29295916/i-dont-get-the-appeal-of-jrpgs.?page=1sts106mat

And more importantly, the post I replied to and which got me interested in this topic in the first place implied so:

A JRPG is a RPG made by Japanese developers. Anyone who says otherwise is a flippin moron.

Dumbest. Argument. Ever.Master_ShakeXXX

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]Again, you are reading too much into it. Seeing for some reason, such a simple easy answer is flying right over your head and can't manage to answer your own simple silly question, I will answer.........It tells you where the game is from.........:shock:SciFiRPGfan

It tells you nothing and it isn't meant to tell you anything other than where it is from. If you want to know more about a game, get off your lazy ass and use google instead of coming here excepting answers to stupid questions that you should already know the answers to.AmazonTreeBoa

Sorry, but there is a difference between JRPGs and WRPGs. A genre is "A group of media texts that share a set of conventional characteristics, such as content, narrative structure, and visual style."

JRPGs are more so focused on turn based combat carried out by preteen angsty teenagers, whereas WRPGs are more so D&D like, as in have the same basic story lines and generaslly the same combat mechanics.In all honesty, WRPGs, dont exist. Its RPGs and JRPGs are a sub genre of it.

Iantheone

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]It tells you nothing and it isn't meant to tell you anything other than where it is from. If you want to know more about a game, get off your lazy ass and use google instead of coming here excepting answers to stupid questions that you should already know the answers to.SciFiRPGfan

[QUOTE="SciFiRPGfan"]

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]There is no definition for a JRPG or WRPG. Those terms just tell you where the game was made, not what kind of RPG it is. Mass Effect is a WRPG. Not because of how it plays, but because of where it is from. If you are going to tell what type of RPG it is, you would say it is an action RPG, or an action WRPG. Saying a game is JRPS doesn't imply what type of game it is, just what region it us from. TC is just reading WAY to much into it and interpreting it wrong. I have Bastion on PC, but haven't really played it because my CPU is acting stupid and I need to build a new PC. But what little I did play was awesome.AmazonTreeBoa

The JRPG/WRPG binary was created pretty much for the sole purpose of putting Japan on a pedastal, which is pretty unfair to the rest of the world if you think about it.

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"][QUOTE="SciFiRPGfan"]
Sorry to repeat my question again, but I have seen few posters restate same opinion as you have again and again without anyone trying to answer my questions. And I am really curious.

What use does classification of games according to country of origin have? What does it tell you about the game? Should we include more countries into such classification (e.g. it seems that for example Canada is on the rise as far as RPGs are concerned - Bioware, Eidos Montreal or maybe in future Poland or at least Eastern Europe as a geographic region).

Here's my take on it. The genre for me represents a group of objects with some characteristics (game mechanics, story / atmosphere, maybe style or structure) that are similar to each other and that are relevant enough to make a supposed group out of those objects (rpgs, horrors, metal music) in the first place.

Once I know that a supposed object (Quake 2, Aliens, Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys) belongs to specific genre (FPS, scifi - fi horror, power / heavy metal) I can get the broad (sometimes only very broad though) idea about what it's going to be like, because I know what are other objects (Unreal, The Thing, Gamma Ray's albums), that belongs to said genre, like and what are the most common traits of objects that belong to that genre.

But nationality of developer? What does it tell you about the game? Are Japanese developers special? Or maybe only Japanese RPG developers (since I haven't seen people using terms like JTPS, Jracing or Jfighting games)?

Timstuff

The JRPG/WRPG binary was created pretty much for the sole purpose of putting Japan on a pedastal, which is pretty unfair to the rest of the world if you think about it.

So that you know where it came from. it doesn't have to tell you anything other than that. You demanding that it does is your personal issue. I like to know where my games come from when it comes to RPGs. It lets me know what to go in expecting based off my past experience with JRPGs vs WRPGs. Sure there are the odd balls from each side of the pond from time to time that break the norm of what you expect like Demon's/Dark Souls for example, but for the most part you have an idea what to expect. For example. With JRPGs I go in expecting Japanese anime type art style with a bit of Japanese perv thrown in as well as a story that normally revolves around Japanese folklore, With WRPGs I go in expecting more action, a more realistic art style, less perv, and stories that aren't aimed so much at one culture's folklore.AmazonTreeBoa

[QUOTE="Gxgear"]

[QUOTE="AdobeArtist"]

I was going to link those Extra Creditz videos myself. What their segment really tries to do is identify how WRPGs and JRPGs are played for entirely different experiences. Just as sim racers, arcade racers, and kart racers are played for unique experiences even while still falling under the racer umbrella.

But then when a game like Dark Souls comes from Japan and follows the design and gameplay philosophy of the West, calling it a JRPG is misleading, as it doesn't describe the gaming experience that is atypical of other well known JRPG IPs.

Clearly regional branding isn't the way to identify sub genres. It should be to inform the player of the core game design and experience that can be expected from the game. I've proposed this before and want to give it another shot. Mind you It's still just a concept but here goes;

Interpretive RPG (aka WRPG) - this is indicative that much of the gameplay experience is subject to the players interpretation. This can include any combination of custom character design encompassing race, gender, appearance, outfit ensembles, as well as plot choices, moral outlook, and world interaction.

Narrative RPG (aka JRPG) - here the experience is centered around a scripted story and where the player is fixed to a predesigned character, both in outward appearance and internal qualities. while still allowing for stat building and class configurations, overall far more linear in character and story progression.

AdobeArtist

Those are fitting terms, but as long as people stay ignorant of the history and what the terms represent, adding new terms will just confuse newcomers. I mean, it'll probably be impossible to extend new terms beyond the site, so trying to educate people about existing terms is the better option.

Additionally, your coined terms only serves to draw a equal sign between them and JRPG/WRPG.

Role playing games leaning towards either the interpretive or narrative side of things isn't localized in one region anymore in 2012. My belief is that our exisitng terminology works - as long as people understands them. Here are a few well-known examples that break the mold of what people mistakenly define as JRPG's WRPGs:

Demon's Souls - action aRPG (you're a guy trying to kill **** it's all about the combat). It's neither interpretive, since you're explicitly told what you are and what you are to do, nor is it narrative, since there is barely any.

Disgaea - strategy sRPG (micromanagement on the battlefield). Again, while the writing for the franchise have been excellent, calling it sRPG is infinitely more descriptive because strategy is the essence of Disgaea.

Fallout 3 - FPS RPG. Like Demon's Souls, you're explicitly told what you are and what you should do, but with some degree of freedom. However, game design still forces you to take one of two general paths, the paths being 'good' and 'evil'.

It's exactly because the design philosophies of interpretive and narrative (as I describe it) aren't as regionally specific as they used to be, that labelling by region in fact does not work. And what lead to my paradigm of how best to categorize the games, based more on core gameplay experience rather than origin of creation.

And while the WRPG and JRPG is something people have gotten used to, it no longer reflects the shift in trends to how games are made relative to their source. So we all should be adjusting to a new way of categorizing. If not my suggestion, surely some other equally appropriate descriptor.

When I say existing terminology, I mean the usage of prefixes added in front of RPG to better describe what they are ie. sRPG, aRPG, etc.

The only reason JRPG/WRPG are so misinterpreted by the uninitiated is because of how prevelant the regions were in the development the genre. If people people aren't willing to shed their ignorance on this single fact, how would they be able to accept additional concepts? That there lies the problem.

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"][QUOTE="SciFiRPGfan"]
Sorry to repeat my question again, but I have seen few posters restate same opinion as you have again and again without anyone trying to answer my questions. And I am really curious.

What use does classification of games according to country of origin have? What does it tell you about the game? Should we include more countries into such classification (e.g. it seems that for example Canada is on the rise as far as RPGs are concerned - Bioware, Eidos Montreal or maybe in future Poland or at least Eastern Europe as a geographic region).

Here's my take on it. The genre for me represents a group of objects with some characteristics (game mechanics, story / atmosphere, maybe style or structure) that are similar to each other and that are relevant enough to make a supposed group out of those objects (rpgs, horrors, metal music) in the first place.

Once I know that a supposed object (Quake 2, Aliens, Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys) belongs to specific genre (FPS, scifi - fi horror, power / heavy metal) I can get the broad (sometimes only very broad though) idea about what it's going to be like, because I know what are other objects (Unreal, The Thing, Gamma Ray's albums), that belongs to said genre, like and what are the most common traits of objects that belong to that genre.

But nationality of developer? What does it tell you about the game? Are Japanese developers special? Or maybe only Japanese RPG developers (since I haven't seen people using terms like JTPS, Jracing or Jfighting games)?

Timstuff

The JRPG/WRPG binary was created pretty much for the sole purpose of putting Japan on a pedastal, which is pretty unfair to the rest of the world if you think about it.

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]So that you know where it came from. it doesn't have to tell you anything other than that. You demanding that it does is your personal issue. I like to know where my games come from when it comes to RPGs. It lets me know what to go in expecting based off my past experience with JRPGs vs WRPGs. Sure there are the odd balls from each side of the pond from time to time that break the norm of what you expect like Demon's/Dark Souls for example, but for the most part you have an idea what to expect. For example. With JRPGs I go in expecting Japanese anime type art style with a bit of Japanese perv thrown in as well as a story that normally revolves around Japanese folklore, With WRPGs I go in expecting more action, a more realistic art style, less perv, and stories that aren't aimed so much at one culture's folklore.SciFiRPGfan

If JRPG refers to a specific aesthetic, Sudeki is a JRPG. It has "anime-style" art direction and lots of Japanese fantasy tropes at play throughout. It was made by the British, but it meets the aesthetic and game design requirements for the hypotetical genre I have seen people propose in here. Dragon's Dogma and Dark Souls do not meet those standards, so that means that if the RPG genre is segmented into JRPG and WRPG, Sudeki is a JRPG while Dark Souls and Dragon's Dogma are WRPGs.

If being made in Japan is a pre-requisite for being a JRPG, then JRPG is not a genre but merely a geographical designation. And if that is the case, then the WRPG designation is erroneous and no-one should use it. Since Dark Souls and Dragon's Dogma are JRPGs, that means that Witcher 2 is a PRPG, Skyrim is an ARPG, and Dragon Age is a CRPG. The world is not divided into the two regions of "Japan" and "Gaijin Land," so that means that if we are using JRPG to describe a region, the term WRPG has to be thrown out. That holds especially true for Korea, China and Taiwan, since they have lots of game developers making RPGs but they are no more "western" than Japan is. The Witcher further makes the "Western RPG" label dubious, since Poland is part of Eastern Europe.

Let me put it this way: if Dark Souls is a JRPG, then by extension The Witcher 2 is not a WRPG.

It's a stupid term that basically says nothing about the game. Turn Based RPG, or RPG with an anime art-style would be better depending on the game. Dark Souls is still a JRPG though.Loegi

Dark Souls is an action rpg. You've never played it like your profile shows.

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]So that you know where it came from. it doesn't have to tell you anything other than that. You demanding that it does is your personal issue. I like to know where my games come from when it comes to RPGs. It lets me know what to go in expecting based off my past experience with JRPGs vs WRPGs. Sure there are the odd balls from each side of the pond from time to time that break the norm of what you expect like Demon's/Dark Souls for example, but for the most part you have an idea what to expect. For example. With JRPGs I go in expecting Japanese anime type art style with a bit of Japanese perv thrown in as well as a story that normally revolves around Japanese folklore, With WRPGs I go in expecting more action, a more realistic art style, less perv, and stories that aren't aimed so much at one culture's folklore.SciFiRPGfan

[QUOTE="Master_ShakeXXX"]

A JRPG is a RPG made by Japanese developers. Anyone who says otherwise is a flippin moron.

Dumbest. Argument. Ever.

HoolaHoopMan

No, you're a jackass because you go around trying to change the meaning of things when you don't have that authority. You're a stupid, stupid, ignorant, jackass and because of that I'm not even going to give you a respectful response. Jackass.

[QUOTE="Timstuff"]

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"] Again, you are reading too much into it. Seeing for some reason, such a simple easy answer is flying right over your head and can't manage to answer your own simple silly question, I will answer.........It tells you where the game is from.........:shock:Dj-Dampleaf

The JRPG/WRPG binary was created pretty much for the sole purpose of putting Japan on a pedastal, which is pretty unfair to the rest of the world if you think about it.

[QUOTE="SciFiRPGfan"]

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]So that you know where it came from. it doesn't have to tell you anything other than that. You demanding that it does is your personal issue. I like to know where my games come from when it comes to RPGs. It lets me know what to go in expecting based off my past experience with JRPGs vs WRPGs. Sure there are the odd balls from each side of the pond from time to time that break the norm of what you expect like Demon's/Dark Souls for example, but for the most part you have an idea what to expect. For example. With JRPGs I go in expecting Japanese anime type art style with a bit of Japanese perv thrown in as well as a story that normally revolves around Japanese folklore, With WRPGs I go in expecting more action, a more realistic art style, less perv, and stories that aren't aimed so much at one culture's folklore.AmazonTreeBoa

[QUOTE="Dj-Dampleaf"][QUOTE="Timstuff"]So why does the term "WRPG" exist? It says almost nothing about where a game came from other than that it is not Japanese. The Witcher 2 came from Poland and Skyrim came from America. Can you really argue that they come from the same general area, or that there are no significant differences between American culture and Polish culture that are worth drawing attention to the way the JRPG designation does?

The JRPG/WRPG binary was created pretty much for the sole purpose of putting Japan on a pedastal, which is pretty unfair to the rest of the world if you think about it.

AmazonTreeBoa

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"][QUOTE="Dj-Dampleaf"] Jrpgs are not RPGs. There are Rpgs that ARE made in japan that are Rpgs but the ones argued about the most are the ones that are NOT, going Final Fantasy IV to Starocean 4, games like those are not Rpgs, stop arguing, you can't possibly take the definition of Role-playing and actually say with a straight face to a person of intelligence it's closer to being an Rpg than a Wrpg. No, Wrpgs are a bit mixed but they are Rpgs, this gen it's 50/50 bu Jrpgs where never Rpgs. Dj-Dampleaf

necause there is no need to argue against you point, is so incredibly dumb there is no need to waste time.

[QUOTE="Dj-Dampleaf"][QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]Thanks for the good laugh. JRPGs aren't RPGs. That's funny.Krelian-co

necause there is no need to argue against you point, is so incredibly dumb there is no need to waste time.

the reason people came up with the terms Western Role Playing Games and Japanese Role Playing Games is because their designs are particularly different. Obviously they are not a genre because they both are still RPGs but it wouldn't be wrong to refer to them as a sub-genre.

Again JRPG means nothing more than a Japanese RPG. What part of that do you keep missing? And as I said, not all JRPGs follow the same formula just like WRPGs done. I am not going to keep repeating myself to you. Either grasp wtf I am saying or realize that for some reason, what I say to you keep going over your head and move on. You sound like a freaking broken record.AmazonTreeBoa

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"][QUOTE="SciFiRPGfan"]
Hmm, but at the end of the day, it's the "anime type art style with a bit of Japanese perv thrown in as well as a story that normally revolves around Japanese folklore" for example, that makes them JRPGs, isn't it? If it wasn't for them (or at least most of them)...

And what if European or American developer made a game exactly like what you've described as JRPG. Wouldn't it be better to call it JRPG as well? To not confuse other people or to help JRPG fans find it quicker?

Similar for outliers from Japan, if somebody asked you to recommend him some good JRPG in the most typical sense possible, you probably wouldn't recommend him Demon's or Dark Souls, now would you.

Timstuff

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]Again JRPG means nothing more than a Japanese RPG. What part of that do you keep missing? And as I said, not all JRPGs follow the same formula just like WRPGs done. I am not going to keep repeating myself to you. Either grasp wtf I am saying or realize that for some reason, what I say to you keep going over your head and move on. You sound like a freaking broken record.SciFiRPGfan

jrpg is such turn based anime infested crap that is completely vomitous in nature.

Action RPG > WRPG > jrpg

I am always a jerk here, deal with it. If you want my nice side, go to the PS3 forums or the PC forums. This is SW.AmazonTreeBoa

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"] There is no definition for a JRPG or WRPG. Those terms just tell you where the game was made, not what kind of RPG it is.StatusShuffle

One can mod Skyrim PC with JRPG/anime characters.

PS; "mods" is an official feature for the PC version of Skyrim.

I stopped watching after he said that the term JRPG is racist. -_-

Sometimes people over-think these things.

Interactive stories or Visual Novels are in reality what the Jrpgs we are talking about really are Dj-Dampleaf

Visual novels aren't even games. They're storybooks on a computer.

Some words change their meanings over time.

This is one of those times. And the argument will not end until the last of the 'JRPGs are RPGs from Japan' traditionalists die off.:P

You just proved my point, you don't even have a reason against it.Dj-Dampleaf

[QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"]I am always a jerk here, deal with it. If you want my nice side, go to the PS3 forums or the PC forums. This is SW.SciFiRPGfan

Then don't quote me if you don't like my responses here, it's that simple.AmazonTreeBoa

Besides, I wanted to hear an explanation from somebody from the "all RPGs from Japan are JRPGs" crowd as to why would you guys do so and what benefits would such approach give you.SciFiRPGfan

The only thing that all JRPGs have in common is that they are all from Japan. Dragon Warrior and Dark Souls are both Japanese RPGs, but they don't share any aesthetic qualities and have very little in common as far as gameplay is concerned. Since they are both JRPGs, that means that JRPG is not a genre, but rather a label to designate that the games come from Japan.

As for "WRPGs," the only thing that they have in common is that they've all (incorrectly) had the same regional label slapped on them. "WRPG" used in juxtiposition with "JRPG" is incorrect, because every country that is not Japan does not fit under the label of "the west." No such binary exists, and yet I keep seeing people use these labels and not even have any consistency in how they are applied.

"JRPG" is an RPG from Japan. It's a rather pointless label IMO because we don't call Elder Scrolls an USRPG or Dragon Age a CARPG, but if you insist that being from Japan makes a game extra special somehow, then go ahead. If you believe that being a JRPG actually says anything about the gameplay or aesthetics though, then you are sorely mistaken, and if you use the term WRPG to describe non-Japanese RPGs in any context then you are wrong outright.

The only thing that all JRPGs have in common is that they are all from Japan. Dragon Warrior and Dark Souls are both Japanese RPGs, but they don't share any aesthetic qualities and have very little in common as far as gameplay is concerned. Since they are both JRPGs, that means that JRPG is not a genre, but rather a label to designate that the games come from Japan.

As for "WRPGs," the only thing that they have in common is that they've all (incorrectly) had the same regional label slapped on them. "WRPG" used in juxtiposition with "JRPG" is incorrect, because every country that is not Japan does not fit under the label of "the west." No such binary exists, and yet I keep seeing people use these labels and not even have any consistency in how they are applied.

"JRPG" is an RPG from Japan. It's a rather pointless label IMO because we don't call Elder Scrolls an USRPG or Dragon Age a CARPG, but if you insist that being from Japan makes a game extra special somehow, then go ahead. If you believe that being a JRPG actually says anything about the gameplay or aesthetics though, then you are sorely mistaken, and if you use the term WRPG to describe non-Japanese RPGs in any context then you are wrong outright.Timstuff

[QUOTE="StatusShuffle"][QUOTE="AmazonTreeBoa"] There is no definition for a JRPG or WRPG. Those terms just tell you where the game was made, not what kind of RPG it is.ronvalencia

One can mod Skyrim PC with JRPG/anime characters.

PS; "mods" is an official feature for the PC version of Skyrim.