One of the biggest, most enduring lies in video game history is defined by an entire genre. Role Playing Games either dont feature actual role play, or are a complete non-unique. If its the former then developers promised something that they mostly havent delivered, and if its the later then there is no such thing as an RPG in video game terms. Let me explain, RPGs were created as a transition from table top war strategy games utilizing miniatures to represent various units on the field. Gary Gygax really enjoyed these games, but thought it would be cool to employ a fantasy element and expand the level of interactivity between the player and what was happening on the field. Trading tanks and infantry for sorcerers and fighters lead to the creation of Dungeons & Dragons. What created the transition from strategy to role playing was the implementation of story and character creation. In the days of first edition, battle was still the primary draw and created characters were essentially an afterthought, quickly created and just as quickly slaughtered, tearing up a character sheet upon death was common place (wait a sec, thousands of D&D players under the age of 20 almost died). As time went by, character creation took on a life of its own and role playing came more and more prominent. Video game designers saw the value in table top gaming and began transitioning the game and its features to a video game setting, adopting the term RPG along with the concept. Unfortunately they completely left behind the actual role playing. For a while RPGs were turn based and utilized a stat system similar to table top games, but that isnt role play. Lets be honest, thats a game mechanic that truly alienates a tremendous amount of gamers who have no desire to watch a bunch of poorly drawn characters stand around and never actually interact. Even later games that got rid of turn based game play still offered nothing in the way of an actual role playing experience. A choice of possible phrases isnt bad, and Mass Effect's conversation system along with the Paragon/Renegade scale stands alone as the example of even bothering to try. But trying doesnt make one worthy of a title, doing does. The key component missing in video game RPGs is alignment. Through alignment consequences are conferred, and consequences add gravity to our decisions. In basic terms, if the player character (PC) is good aligned it weighs and factors into every choice they make and there are subsequent consequences to violating their alignment. This mechanic is what Fable hinted at and then never delivered; you cant have role play without alignment and the ability for the alignment to dominate the players decisions, not the other way around. Video game RPGs are built from top to bottom to at no point allow the player to actually role play. Shock Value: Consider this, video game developers and video game RPG fans will argue that the features and combat systems are what make their games RPGs, and on its surface its a fair assessment. Until you explain to them that nothing they just named is a necessary component to play a role playing game. You cant build a copy with nothing but non essential components and then tell me youre done, thats called lying. Everything in an RPG is interchangeable, with one exception, the ability to role play the character, how can you say you have this is a faithful recreation but be missing the only component necessary to define it as the recreation?