Simple programs can help translate your narrative into games
It seems that the market has now become congested with first-person shooters and survival horror games. RPGs, the genre that had dominated console gaming markets in the past, have been in short supply. RPGs are known for their immersive, engaging story lines, and game play that resembles an interactive narrative. In many ways, the RPG is the perfect platform for the modern-day fairytale, as reports by The Guardian show that children as young as five already have access to mobile phones and other computing devices. The RPG hosts incredible potential for modern-day storytellers: they’re innovative, immersive, and in line with the interests of the current generation. The best part about RPGs is that you don’t need any programming knowledge to be able to create one. In fact, you don’t even need a team of writers, graphic artists and designers to be able to churn out an RPG – all you need is a simple program. The RPG Maker series has been around for over a decade, and all of the programs are quite straightforward. With a simple interface that can be navigated with a mouse, game developers can customize heroes, enemies, and items, create sprawling maps and events, and tell a full-scale story. The cons? The software doesn’t come cheap, with the latest version costing a whopping $69.99. That, and you can’t create games for mobile devices using the software. This can seriously impact returns for game developers – especially if they’re aiming to make educational RPGs. Fewer people are now playing casual games on PCs – the default market of RPG Maker games. Gaming Realms, operators of Pocket Fruity, claim that growth in the mobile market “is one of the most powerful trends in the internet landscape and the global smartphone and tablet installed base is expected to exceed the PC installed base during 2013”.
Those who want to be able to market games to iPads and iOS devices can use RPG Creator, a relatively new program that doesn’t quite have the kick that RPG Maker does. The graphics available to users of RPG Creator are sub-par, and unfortunately the interface hasn’t been streamlined for easy game creation. There’s no doubt about it though, with programs like these, RPGs can certainly make a comeback with the help of indie game developers. Their rich, interactive storylines, unique game play, and great graphics surely has the potential to draw in this generation of gamers. Post Contributed by Janet Thatcher