Why do you play RPG's?

Why do you play RPG's?

Once one of the most popular genres on the market, RPGs have seemed to see a steady decline since their peak during the 32-bit era. Thanks to Final Fantasy VII, which shook up the industry and changed the idea of what an RPG (and most games) should be, RPGs exploded on the PSOne and markets outside of Japan were finally lucky to see many of the gems that we had previously been deprived.

Final Fantasy VII was my first RPG and I know I'm not alone in that assessment. And I admit being wowed by the scope of the game. The characters, the epic story, the graphics, the emotional cutscenes. It was like nothing I'd previously experienced. And it made me interested to play MORE games in this once foreign genre. I'd pick up almost anything else that came along... FFVIII and IX, Lunar, Grandia, Valkyrie Profile, Chrono Cross, etc (you get the point). I also got to play some of the greats from the past like the sublime Chrono Trigger and FFIV-VI.

But then I became supremely bored by the genre. Was it overload? Was it that most games on the market became FFVII clones? Was it that Square seemed to lose their sparkle and became the "Final Fantasy" company? Or that most RPGs seemed to jump into a different direction than the games that I loved? Maybe a combination of all of them.

Yet on this board, RPGs seem to continue their long-standing popularity and I'm kind of curious as to what makes this so. Why do you guys play RPGs? I've found the genre can usually be defined by a few major things.

Gameplay
We all know the basics of an RPG at this point. Travel around the world to different towns and visit dungeons/castles/caves/etc. to continue the story. While doing so, you level up your characters by fighting monsters through some sort of combat system. Some games are enthralling, some are tedious. Some are straightforward and linear, while others have you solve puzzles and have you try to think about what to do next. When I first played FFVII, this was the least important aspect of the game to me. I wanted to get to the next point and continue the story, combat was a chore.

But then I played more games. Chrono Trigger's combat was fun, its battle system was a great part of the game. FFV, one of my favorites in the series, was great BECAUSE of its battle system. The story is flimsy, but the job system is fantastic. I find myself wanting to fight to improve my characters.

Setting
Do you prefer futuristic games or games with a more medieval flavor? How about a mix of the two? This has been one of my biggest problems with the FF series. The series has taken a decidedly more futuristic approach and has turned me off big time. I'm looking forward to the Dragon Quest DS games for just this reason. The settings and worlds look fanastic.

Characters
In my opinion, one of the most imporant aspects of an RPG. If you don't care about your characters, how could you possibly care about the game? Since FFVII, most main characters have followed the Cloud emo approach. And some casts just make me almost laugh (or cry), I particularly hated FFVIII's and FFX's group of misfits. Then there are the likes of Chrono Trigger, Lunar, FFIV and VI (and I'm particularly partial to the cast of FFIX myself.)

I play RPG's because alot of my friends do and I find it enjoyable.