Role Playing Games and Lady Luck – A match in the gaming industry
Analyzing the odds of an event occurring is entertaining for many, as well as putting something valuable at risk to test their predictions. As in classic games of chance, like playing online roulette and blackjack, luck has been present in the world of role-playing games since its conception.
In the year 1974, people were fascinated with a board game that included fantasies and adventures called Dungeons & Dragons, in which different roles could be taken to advance within a dynamic world in which a set of rules was established; in addition to a narrative section that generated exciting interactions among the players. The element of chance was there, affecting the powers of your characters by throwing the dice to improve or worsen their conditions. It was a practice that would soon be established in many other games.
With the arrival of Nintendo and video game studios, Final Fantasy (1985) and Dragon Quest (1983) were born; they implemented those roles taking these games to another level. The characters had a series of attributes among which luck was included, influencing the ability to evade enemy attacks.
As if there wasn’t enough random, some developers added actual gambling elements to the games. The role of chance has evolved in the industry, and we have witnessed it in some of the most celebrated mini casino games inside RPGs. Let’s have a look at those that have entertained us over the past few years:
Top Minigames inside RPG’s
POKEMON (GAMEBOY COLOR / GameFreak): When you entered Celurean City, the only thing you wanted to do was visit the game room. There was a slot machine where you could get coins and exchange them for items that benefited the status of your pokemon. Among them, the Rarecandys, which were crucial to level your pokemon and increase their battle attributes. If you did not want to go to a casino and use roulette to test your luck, then you had the world generated by GameFreak at your disposal.
MASS EFFECT 2 (PS3 / PC / Xbox360 / Bioware): In Citadel, there is a Casino in which you can play a futuristic version of blackjack called Quasar. However, the goal is to get to number 20, not like the classic game. This slot machine has a graphical interface that allows you to throw numbers in a range of 1 to 8, or 4 to 7. You choose, and lady luck will decide for you. If you decide to retire earlier, you can get a decent payoff but not as important as the 40 credits.
FINAL FANTASY VII (PlayStation / Squaresoft): In the masterpiece of Squaresoft, there is a section dedicated to the races of Chocobos, similar to horseraces. Choose the best rider, and have a user interface indicate the Stamina and the speed of your Chocobo, the prizes could be “materia” or unusual items, among other exciting things that increased their usefulness for the player according to the size of the bet. In the same section, you’ll be asked if you’d want to bet on the races C, B, A or S of Chocobos, just like betting on a horse race where they differed in degrees. Have fun at the Gold Saucer Casino!
FINAL FANTASY VIII (PlayStation / Squaresoft): Following what has been considered by many as the best RPG in history, comes Final Fantasy VIII. You will find a card minigame called Triple Triad, with which you can make use of special cards to play on a 3×3 board. The goal, flip the playing cards of the players and take as many of them at the end of the game; if you lose, they’ll take yours. Beautifully represented with the summons like Ifrit, Bahamut, Shiva, and essential enemies in the game, you won’t feel very well about parting with them. Later you can use transformation skills and generate special magic through the cards to combine them with your characters in the Junction System interface.
THE WITCHER 3 (CD Projekt RED / PS4): In the universe of The Witcher created by the acclaimed writer Andrzej Sapkowski, a minigame of cards and bets named Gwent was created. Your goal is to go around the world collecting these cards through non-playable characters by buying or receiving them until they put together a decent battle deck.
The cards split into 4 Factions: Monsters, Nilfgaardian Empire, Northern Realms and Scoia’tael, and subdivide into several troop types according to the row they occupy – close combat, archers, and siege units, as well as additional weather cards that would affect the whole battlefield. The units also have combat power and various synergetic skills that can boost it.
At the beginning of the round, you get ten cards. Gwent’s goal is to win two non-consecutive matches; this will be determined by the total power of all cards on the field, represented in the upper left in numbers. If you win, you could get valuable items in turn crowns, which is one of the three coins used in the game to buy things in-game.
DIABLO 3 (Blizzard / PC, PS4): The bets in this game are based on the weapons and different items that you can get by boasting your luck and gold (currency within the game). For example, if you spend a certain amount of Blood shards, you can get items called Rare Sources (only in adventure mode). This is Diablo 3’s crafting system.
These items and the collaboration of artisans and enchanters can make your character much more dominant and ultimately get legendary weapons. It maintains the Diablo II weapon construction system, so you may have to spend a lot of gold to obtain unique attributes generated randomly. It’s a roulette of sorts, where the chances of getting a perfect set of attributes are so slim that it may get frustrating. The game designers wanted people to play the “Hell” mode because there they could collect vast amounts of gold and use it in the crafting system, and thus make the characters unique in attributes and items.
Should it always be just about talent and precision when it comes to video games? How do you feel about the presence of chance? What makes a dice roll or a spin of a roulette wheel so exciting? These are tough questions. Some people value the possibility to excel at a game by practicing and not “getting lucky,” while for others, luck is a part of life, and it helps if the game provides a more real experience – not everything’s under our control. Is being lucky at life variable you’d like to add to your gaming experience?