Chris Crawford on Game Design

Role-Playing Games

Players of these games have always placed high value on the quality of the storytelling. Indeed, the original role-playing game (RPG), Dungeons & Dragons, invented by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, thrived on the storytelling talents of the person running the game for the players (the Dungeon Master). However, computer RPG's were able to develop every aspect of the genre except the storytelling; over the years, these games have become ever richer in their combat systems, in the richness of detail of the worlds they offer, and in many other ways. But the storytelling aspect of computer RPG's has continued to languish. Many RPG players bemoan this problem, and a number of worthy attempts have been made to address it. So far, however, ...