Role-playing games come with the freedom to explore a new world, make decisions, and bear responsibility for the consequences, which true individualists will relish. As of the first quarter of 2025, more than a fifth (23%) of US video gamers were playing RPGs, according to an online survey of thousands of respondents that began in 2019. RPGs generated $9.3 billion over the first half of 2025, and interest is nowhere near declining as the market sees more and more innovative types of games in the role-playing segment.
Still, some players struggle with choice overload, complicated background systems and rules, statistics, and the process of leveling up.
From tradition to innovation in role-playing games
A typical RPG involves a character that a player creates. The player can control the character’s decisions, skills, destinations, and more. Then, there are less typical ones, like NFL Rivals, a mobile blockchain game by Mythical Games, licensed by the NFL. You don’t have to be a diehard NFL fan to enjoy it, as its appeal lies in its straightforwardness. The creators focused on immersion, which is among the most crucial aspects of RPGs.
Enabling the player to immerse himself in a believable world is challenging, but it’s what keeps him coming back if done right. Players who have never watched an NFL match can get sucked into the gameplay. Unlike in traditional RPGs, players of NFL Rivals can act as general managers of NFL teams. They assemble teams, level up, ditch underperformers, and recruit better players, and unlock the option to trade, buy, and sell NFL players as NTFs on the Mythical Marketplace at level four.
An ARPG (action role-playing game) entails a sharp focus on the main story. You often play as a predetermined character, but you can still choose what the character excels at and does. MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) usually have preset categories that fit different niches. People play them in groups, which appeals to those looking to socialize. Finally, there are tabletop RPGs, which require two or more players. The players build the world, control the story, and determine how the characters react to any events that occur.
Depending on the degree of immersion an RPG allows, it can help shift one’s focus away from real-life problems, but many pastimes can achieve that just as effectively. Why the allure of RPGs specifically? It may be that we are “social animals,” as social psychologists claim, and while we have access to social media, they don’t necessarily engage us in group activities. That’s where RPGs come in, especially MMOs.
An RPG can help a player improve their social skills without leaving their home. The player must communicate with others in scenarios like combat or matches. Without a mutually agreed plan, the group faces a high risk of suffering casualties. This is not unlike processes in real-life workplaces, where people must collaborate to handle important issues.
The allure of exploration, choice, and control
An RPG consists of many intertwined systems, which include characters, world-building, choices, and player advancements. Unlike action-adventure games, RPGs allow players to explore virtual worlds. They don’t know what items they might discover or what they will run into. However, they make the conscious choice to explore and feel in control despite unexpected occurrences.
Fans of RPGs like complex systems, multiple builds and paths, and multifaceted worlds that they can lose themselves in. They appreciate being able to play the game their way, make decisions, and face the consequences. Statistics, rules, and background systems are a significant order of the day. Some players enjoy figuring out how to break the systems, while others relish the grind of improving their gaming skills.
Still others can feel overwhelmed by the choices and complicated statistics, and grasping the concept of freely building characters takes them a long time. Complaints range from not being sure what to level up in Skyrim to barely understanding their own character’s move sets in Baldur’s Gate 3, much less those of the numerous other characters.
It’s hard to overlook the excitement of coming up with builds, finding out how to get the maximum out of the game’s customization, and rising to challenges. Building a character and role-playing as that character is key to RPGs’ lasting appeal. Players feel engaged as they experiment with different builds and ultimately see a self-made build work. Some play RPGs for the tactical aspect and numbers. They analyze fighting strategies, try new approaches with each playthrough, and role-play the related aspects of the character they journey with.
Even the most dynamic RPGs require transitions
The creators of Diablo 2 perfected the eerie, frightful setting that the game became renowned for, but Diablo 3 was more colorful and vibrant. This upset some players, while others felt Diablo 3 had sustained its predecessor’s atmosphere and added a few fresh elements. We can’t blame the platforms for making changes, as players grow accustomed even to dynamic, arcade-style games. In its second year, NFL Rivals became too difficult for new players to enter, especially in terms of overall team power.
Mythical Games has announced several major changes as its third year approaches. One significant decision is to eliminate all non-NFT cards. Players will receive Training Points to boost other cards. The platform will also lock cards earned from in-game packs by default, which means players won’t be able to sell or trade them immediately. In order to turn cards into NFTs and sell or trade them, the player must level them up and then mint them using Mint Tokens, which are not specific to a card but are rarity-based.
Assets with different rarities are a typical RPG element. Mythical is making this change to reduce pack prices while increasing card quality so players can get more and better cards. Another change coming in year 3 is Stadiums Mode with skill-based matchmaking and, consequently, a higher level of competitiveness. Synergy rows, including the Captain row, will be resetting, which opens the door for new ways to grow and strategize with minted cards. A one-week training camp kicks off on August 20, and all new features will go live on August 27.
Control and ownership put RPGs in a category of their own
Feeling in control is invaluable and puts RPGs in a category of their own. You don’t set foot in the same river twice: gaming is always changing, but so are the players, so a character that changes with the player is a natural way to cope.
What’s more, Web3 games like NFL Rivals give control back to the player through provable, blockchain-based ownership. Players of NFL Rivals use MYTH tokens for marketplace transactions and governance, and MYTH is usable across Mythical titles. In-game assets hold value beyond the game, and the owners of these assets retain control of them even if they decide to stop playing.
