If anyone were to ask me what my favorite videogame system of all time is, I would have to pick Super Nintendo. Super Nintendo, in my opinion, had the greatest role-playing games (better known as RPGs) ever consistently released on a single platform. Some of those great classics are: The Legend of Zelda A Link into the Past, Final Fantasy IV-VI, Secret of Mana, Dragon Quest I & II, Secret of Evermore, Chrono Trigger, Shadow Run, and many many more. 

 

For those of you who don’t know what a role-playing game is (in other words, for those of you who were getting laid in high school), a role-playing game is a huge adventure that can

take up to 20-40 hours of your time to beat. RPGs consist of combat that revolves around strategizing your team’s strengths and weaknesses versus your opposition’s strengths and weaknesses. RPGs take place in fantasy or science fiction worlds and have stories that unravel like Tolkien novels. What I love most about RPGs is their huge advantage in immersive story telling over movies and books because they are truly interactive: you are the hero, you go on the quest, you solve the puzzles, your decisions impact the outcome of the adventure, and if you don’t suck (*cough*Clark!*cough*) you save the world. 

 

Screenwriters could learn a lot about story telling by playing RPGs. Right when the game turns on it takes you to the inciting incident. Then you get to play as the hero living in his ordinary world. Something weird happens and you’re thrown into the plot. You meet your mentor and form allies. You explore the world and learn more about its workings. You have numerous showdowns with the bad guys and go through many emotional milestones. In the end you cumulate everything you have learned to do the final battle, whether you succeed or fail is your choice. Trust me; RPGs have mythical story structure down. 

 

The characters in RPGs are truly memorable. Your heroes are usually normal people who are thrown into very abnormal situations. They have to go on their journey to learn the skills they will need in order to be triumphant, but more often than not, what they truly on their path is who they really are. The supporting characters fit the story very well too. If your hero is a warrior, you will need others with magic to aid you. Each of your party will have an ability and personality that will round out your quest. 

 

The villains in RPGs are truly haunting. You have your share of typical villains who just want to rule the world, but more often than not, you’ll have your well developed villains with multi-layered reasons why they’re the opposition in your story. These villains have daunting back stories that paint out why they are the bad ones in the world they live in. Sometimes you’ll feel for these villains and wish there was a mode that would let you play the game in their shoes. 

 

RPGs are great at exposition because throughout the game you’ll have optional side quests. You can go on those quests to learn more about the world or your characters. Usually you’ll go on those quests to find the ultimate weapon, but you’ll end up learning more about why the supporting characters joined your party in the first place and what their stakes are in the adventure. 

 

The most important lesson screenwriters should take away from playing RPGs is the level up system. In the game, everyone starts out sucking at their skill. The more they do it, the more experience points they gain. When you gain enough experience points, you level up. Once you level up enough, you will be great at your ability. Screenwriters have to learn to keep this system in mind while writing. The more they write the more experience points they earn and hopefully they’ll level up until they’re the caliber of David S. Goyer someday. Someday. 

 

RPGs really captured my imagination during my formative years and have provided me great sources of inspiration in my adulthood as a professional writer. I use the lessons I’ve learned from them whenever I create my hero’s world. They show me what skills my hero needs and what skills his allies will need to help him defeat the villain. They keep me humble and remind me that no matter what road block I face in my career, if I keep gaining enough experience points by writing, I’ll be able to level up and finally overcome the obstacle that was facing me.

 

I am the hero in this adventure called life, and this is my quest. 

 

Victor Phan

Torture Chamber Productions