The Art of JRPG Design | Genre Essence

The JRPG is an often disputed genre. The question as to whether they are games from Japan or a specific design aesthetic is often debated .This video explores how the essence of a genre intersects with its history , design and analysis, and moreover, how players perceptions play into this as well.
Support the channel on Patreon / gameoveranalyser
Sources
- The Elusive Shift , Jon Peterson
- The Essence of RPGs , Chris Bateman blog.ihobo.com/2015/05/the-es...
- Role Playing Game Studies , Sebastian Deterding and José Zagal
- Respawn , Colin Milburne
- Hills and Lines: FFXIII , Simon Ferrari chungking.wordpress.com/2010/...
- Shared Fantasy , Gary Alan FIne
- The Function of Role Playing Games , Sarah Bowman
- Reverse Design: Chrono Trigger, Patrick Holleman
thegamedesignforum.com/featur...
-Japanese Culture Through Videogames , Rachael Hutchinson
-GNS Theory en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNS_theory
- Why we JRPG , Brainy Gamer www.brainygamer.com/the_brain...
-Yoko Taro Theory • Yoko Taro Theory: Pers...
- The Evolution of RPG mechanics , Josh Sawyer GDC www.gdcvault.com/play/1014931...

[@leonardoferreira2372]

your channel reminds me of being a kid browsing gamasutra daily for insights into game design; it's a shame that there ain't more content in youtube focused on more academic, measured analysis of games (outside of stuff like jacob geller or noah caldwell-gervais)

[@Ashtarte3D]

The biggest issue with the RPG moniker is the same with many gaming "genre" labels: it is now too vague to be useful. Dark Souls and Borderlands 2 can both me described as RPGs while being nothing like each other. Which is why both were given newer, more useful subgenre classifications as Soulslike and Looter Shooter respectively. Even going between two games that are definitely primarily focused on being an RPG, in this case Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield, are so very different in how they handle things that only calling them RPGs without further descriptors is worthless.

[@alex_opr]

such a good overview, it def deserves more views

[@NiagaraThistle]

Came to see Final Fantsay and Dragon Warrior clips: Favorite 2 games EVER after 40 years of playing RPG video games.

[@Heron-Explorer]

I'm currently developing an old school JRPG inspired game, this video is rad. Thank you so much!

[@SimpleArt93]

Words can't descibre how happy I am everytime you upload my friend. You deserve way more viewers. I hope more people find your incredible work. Keep it up!

[@ScottFleckenstein]

Hear, hear!

[@suiken3149]

Parents missing and teenagers always saving the world is just your usual shounen manga trope since majority of demographics are teenagers and younger adults. Its why you see titles like Naruto, One Piece and Bleach features teenage protagonists

[@theyellowarchitect4504]

Cool vid but honestly, it's too much theory, to the point this feels like a marketing lesson on what can be labelled an JRPG, instead of making an actual JRPG. A JRPG is whatever someone feels like a JRPG is, by comparing it to the JRPGs he has played. And ofc, since new technology, it will have features or mechanics which if minor won't prevent the labelling of a "JRPG" If you intend for this video to be useful for actual JRPG gamedevs, they will find more value in playing any of the mentioned JRPGs (so this is a good reference video) than watching this to the end. Because "JRPG" is just a (generic) label, but what they enjoyed from the game is what they will try to put in the game.

[@hian]

Great video, but I caught you reinforcing the myth that it was console hardware limitations that informed abstract command-based combat. This is incorrect. It's incorrect because the command-based combat structure was a carry-over from the table-top rpgs and has always existed concurrently with action-based game design. The fact that even sophisticated action combat systems existed in rpgs on consoles as old as the nes and snes, and the fact that major franchises like DQ and FF kept command-based combat long after titles like Tales of Fantasia, Star Ocean, Legend of Mana etc, amptly demonstrates that command-based combat was always a conscious design-decision based on preference, not some imagined issue of specs.

[@benjaminlefkowitz9463]

Just subbed on Patreon, thanks so much for doing these vids!

[@thegameoveranalyser4835]

Thanks for watching and the support!

[@keen96]

awesome writeup!!

[@danieladamczyk4024]

I like your mindset.

[@Thatkidlbs]

What is the game at 0:59 ?

[@Henry-mo8ei]

☀️ 'Promosm'

[@renewagain6956]

4:40 No. It's an ACTION game made in Japan.