From Bioshock, Modern Warfare 2, to even Team Fortress 2 - RPG elements are creeping into game genres that we never imagined they would. This change for the most part has managed to subtly improve upon genres that needed new life, but there's a cost that hasn't been tallied by the majority of game developers.

Genres have been spilling over into foreign territory for about as long as those distinctions have been identifiable. Many genres were conceived almost entirely by patching together different ideas and mechanics from other games. I am convinced, however, that this has become a more prolific trend in the current generation. As the popularity of online role playing games increased exponentially over the last decade, so has interest in what makes them so popular. The idea that progression is the cornerstone that keeps people playing has caught on with developers across the full spectrum of gaming genres. It’s become so popular to inject some kind of RPG element into a game that I’m hard pressed to think of a genre that remains complete unaffected. For better or worse, everything from Puzzle Quest to Call of Duty is feeling this familiar touch. So which is it—better or worse?

Phaethon via couchcampus.com »