Episode 156 What are Role-Playing Games?
Hi and welcome to Experience Points by University XP. On Experience Points, we explore different ways we can learn from games. I’m your host Dave Eng from games-based learning by University XP. Find out more at www.universityxp.com.
Today, we’re diving into one of the most fascinating - and frankly, most misunderstood - forms of interactive play: Role-Playing Games, or RPGs.
So what are RPGs? Are they just about dice rolls and dragons? Are they all swords and stats? Or is there something deeper, and something profoundly human, about stepping into someone else’s shoes in a world that is not quite our own.
Well, pull up a chair, and maybe grab your character sheet, and let’s explore what it really means to play a role, and why that matters now more than ever.
So let’s start at the beginning — not with the history, but with the feeling.
If you’ve ever watched a movie and imagined yourself as the hero... Or if you’ve ever read a novel and thought, “What would I do in that situation?” Or, if you’ve ever made up stories with friends as a kid...
Then, congratulations! You already understand the essence of role-playing games.
At their core, RPGs are interactive experiences where players become characters in an imagined world. They make decisions, take risks, solve problems, and shape stories, all while inhabiting a role that may or may not reflect who they are in real life.
That’s the magic of it. You’re not just watching the story unfold: you’re living it. You’re negotiating with the dragon, not just hearing about it. You’re making the impossible choice between two equally uncertain paths, and your decisions? They have consequences.
Now, RPGs can look very different depending on the format.
You’ve got:
Tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons played around a table or a virtual space.
Live-action RPGs or LARPs, where people dress up and act out their characters, and
Digital RPGs, from classic console games to modern open-world epics.
But all of them share this: You’re playing a role. You’re making choices. And you’re telling a story, together — even if it’s just between you and the game.
Okay, let’s roll back the clock. RPGs officially got their start in the early 1970s with a game called Chainmail: a medieval war game that focused on armies and tactics. But it was when the focus shifted from groups of units to individual characters that things got interesting.
In 1974, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson took that idea and released something new: Dungeons & Dragons.
Now, D&D wasn’t just a game — it was a revolution. Instead of simulating military battles, players created unique characters with personalities, flaws, backstories, and goals. It wasn’t about winning. It was about playing a part in an unfolding epic. You weren’t just in the world: you were helping to build it.
Over the years, RPGs evolved and split off into many forms. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, digital RPGs took hold with early computer games and text-based Multi-User Dungeons, or MUDs.
These allowed players to type commands like, “go north” or “attack goblin,” and explore virtual worlds: often with other players in real time.
Fast forward to today, and we’ve got massive multiplayer online role-playing games like World of Warcraft, story-driven RPGs like Disco Elysium, and narrative-rich console series like Final Fantasy and The Witcher.
But through it all, that core idea remains: create a character, enter a world, and shape a story through your choices.
Alright, now let’s spend some time talking about mechanics. At first glance, RPGs might seem a bit complicated. There are stats, dice, classes, experience points, quests, inventories, and rulebooks the size of small textbooks. But underneath all that? It’s quite simple.
In an RPG, you, the player, take on the role of a character, often called an avatar. This character has certain traits: strength, intelligence, charisma, maybe a quirky backstory or a mysterious past. You guide this character through challenges, make decisions on their behalf, and see how those choices affect the world around them.
Now, in tabletop RPGs, you might declare, “My rogue climbs the wall to peek into the fortress.” Then you roll a 20-sided die to see if you succeed. The Game Master interprets that roll and narrates the result.
In digital RPGs, that same interaction might happen through a button press or a menu selection. The game engine does the math for you behind the scenes: calculating your chances, successes, and failures.
But either way, the core loop is the same. First: try something. Then: See what happens. React and then continue.
It’s storytelling through action. It’s collaborative improvisation. It’s a game of “What would you do?”
Now, here’s where it gets really interesting. RPGs aren’t just games. They’re tools for self-exploration.
When you step into a character, you start making decisions as them. Maybe your character is braver than you, or more impulsive, or wiser. Over time, you start asking, “What would they do?” instead of… “What would I do?” And then… sometimes, those answers surprise you.
This blending of real and imaginary identity is what scholars call bleed: when emotions, behaviors, or experiences cross the boundary between player and character. It’s powerful. Sometimes healing. Sometimes uncomfortable. But always revealing.
It’s one reason therapists are using RPGs as a form of play therapy. Clients can explore trauma, test social interactions, and build confidence - all within the “magic circle” of play, where the stakes are imaginary but the insights are real.
And in education? RPGs are a goldmine. They foster critical thinking, collaboration, creative writing, even math skills. Students who may struggle with traditional learning often thrive in a game where they have agency, purpose, and feedback that feels fun instead of stressful.
Okay, so now let’s take a moment and unpack the spectrum of RPGs, because it’s vast AND growing.
Tabletop RPGs are the classics. Think Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, or Call of Cthulhu. In these games players gather, create characters, and navigate a world guided by a human game master. It’s part board game, part theatre, part group therapy session.
LARPs stand for Live Action Role-Playing games that take things off the table and into the real world. Players become their characters physically, acting out scenes in costume, sometimes in elaborate locations. It’s immersive - and sometimes, intense.
Digital RPGs include the pixelated adventures of Chrono Trigger to the sprawling worlds of Skyrim. digital RPGs come in many forms: turn-based, real-time, open-world, and narrative-heavy. Some are solo journeys. Others, like massive multiplayer online role-playing games are huge connected worlds with millions of players.
Action RPGs like Dark Souls or Elden Ring combine real-time combat with character progression and storytelling.
JRPGs and WRPGs represent two different design philosophies. Japanese RPGs often emphasize tight narrative arcs and party-based gameplay, while Western RPGs focus on open-world exploration and player choice.
Each type offers a different flavor, but all serve the same meal: immersive role-play, emotional investment, and story-driven gameplay.
So... why does all this matter? Well, think about the world we live in right now. It's chaotic. It's uncertain. It’s often overwhelming.
RPGs offer something that feels increasingly rare: agency.
They give us a world where our choices have consequences, where we can shape our stories, where we can succeed, or fail, and try again. A place where we can connect with others or just escape into our own imagination for a while.
They’re empathy engines, resilience training, and creativity boosters. They help people build friendships, try new identities, confront fears, and dream bigger. And perhaps most importantly, they remind us that we’re never just one version of ourselves. We can be warriors, diplomats, tricksters, and healers: often all at once.
We’ve only just scratched the surface of what role-playing games are and what they can do: for entertainment, for education, and for empathy. If you’re curious to learn more, or if you’ve never played an RPG before, maybe it’s time to try. Whether around a table, behind a screen, or through your own imagination, there’s a whole world waiting for you, and a role only you can play.
I hope you found this episode useful. If you’d like to learn more, then a great place to start is with my free course on gamification. You can sign up for it at www.universityxp.com/gamification You can also get a full transcript of this episode including links to references in the description or show notes. Thanks for joining me! Again, I’m your host Dave Eng from games-based learning by University XP. On Experience Points we explore different ways we can learn from games. If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing. Subscribing is free and ensures that you’ll get the next episode of Experience Points delivered directly to you. I’d also love it if you took some time to rate the show! I live to lift others with learning. So, if you found this episode useful, consider sharing it with someone who could benefit. Also make sure to visit University XP online at www. universityxp.com University XP is also on Twitter @University_XP and on Facebook and LinkedIn as University XP. Also, feel free to email me anytime. My email address is dave@universityxp. com Game on!
Dave Eng, EdD
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Cite this Episode
Eng, D. (2025, March 25). What are Role-Playing Games? Retrieved MONTH DATE, YEAR, from https://www.universityxp.com/blog/2025/3/24/what-are-role-playing-games
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