I always see people debating over terms for different RPG games, but I've devised a foolproof way to make sense of it. Once and for all, here's the new official RPG terminology:
- Western style RPGs were originally created for computers, so we should call them computer role playing games, or CRPG
- Japanese style RPGs were originally created for consoles, so naturally we should call them console role playing games, or CRPG
- Chinese style RPGs are developed in Chinese-speaking places, so we can differentiate them by calling them Chinese role playing games, or CRPG
- Analog RPGs that you play with dice and paper are developed to be played on a surface, so we can differentiate them by calling them countertop role playing games, or
- Massively multiplayer online RPGs, played with thousands of other players on the same server, are defined by their networked nature, so we could call them connected RPGs
Many games combine RPG elements with other genres, such as Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem. We can call these 'combined RPGs,' or CRPGs for short.
There are games that are fundamentally a war game or fighting game, but with roleplay sprinkled on top. Your Necromundas and Battletechs. These could, collectively be called combat RPGs
with all these extra terms, it has become necessary to have a name for games that adhere to the traditional meaning of what an RPG is and is not. as such, they can be called core RPGs, or cRPGs in short.
Of course, it may be tempting to distinguish between older RPGs and more modern RPGs, given how the whole genre has evolved other time. That’s why we should use the term classic RPGs, or CRPGs, for the oldest games in the genre, in contrast to the newest entries, which we should call contemporary RPGs, or CRPGs for short.
