I'm reading a debate on the idea of "JRPG" as a genre name.
Some people are very hung up on certain conventions of what that means.
My view is that a JRPG is a specific distilled spirit of RPG. Computer RPGs (which itself is uselessly vague today) typically had you staring at the keyboard in a fugue state and going though a very protracted sequence of commands.

And certainly, The Black Onyx predates the popular idea of what the ethos is.
You take the complicated bits and simplify them though a simple context command menu(s) that removes 90% of the fluff commands in favor of being direct.

Why (X)it when you can simply leave though an exit, and why (S)earch when you can simply open the box?

Now, could this specific style use a better Cheat Commando name? Without question. Would it be easy to find that name? Nope. I won't even try to think of it, because "Menu RPG" is terribly vague and misses the point. Metroidvania is a genre name that posits on the 3rd and ...6th-10th depending how you count of their respective series.

The German Suplex was coined by a Belgian. What even is it?

Fame or notoriety.

To put it simply, a genre is a classification system. The word itself means "kind of" or "type of." Like any classification system, what defines a genre depends on what you're choosing to classify. For instance, you can have genres based on visual style, such as noir, abstract, art nouveau, or realism. You can also define genres based on literary content, like horror, sci-fi, or fantasy. In video games, genres can be based on viewpoint or perspective, such as 2D, 3D, first-person, third-person, isometric, or side-scrolling. There are also genres shaped by national or cultural styles, like American animation versus Japanese animation, or WRPGs versus JRPGs. These categories often combine elements of visual design, narrative themes, and gameplay mechanics all muddled up together.

So, that's what a genre is: a way to group similar works under a shared label. But genres are not fixed or absolute, their boundaries are often blurry and subjective. There's rarely a clean cut-off between one genre and another, which means classification are often arbitrary and personal. It's also important to understand that a single piece work, such as a game, can belong to multiple genres at the same time, and that is perfectly fine. Some works even shift genres as they progress, or deliberately play with genre expectations.

In the end, while genre classification are fluid and not precise However, they acts as a useful shorthand for describing a work quickly, especially when there’s no need to go into full detail. Bottom line, don't get bogged down into genre discussions, it is pointless.

Loose category used by devpubs and players to concisely describe a game. Usually contains common tropes/mechanics inspired by other games from that same genre that gives a decent idea of what to expect.

To me, JRPG these days doesn't have to be made in Japan anymore, but an RPG that takes inspiration from it. If it's got:

- Contrived story (e.g., leaving your hometown to taking down a cult/religion to fighting the manifestation of void/erasure)
- Anime-esque graphics
- Linear game design
- Turn-based and/or random encounters
- Level grinding
- Infuriating RNG
- Semi-arbitrary and hidden stats
- Some bullshit minigames
- Sexy costume fanservice
- Japanese culture, behaviours, or mythical influences
- and/or a combo of the above in significant amounts (subjective)

then, it's probably a JRPG even if it was made in Tanzania.

CRPG is still a useful term, as it serves to distinguish games like Pool of Radiance and Final Fantasy 2 from games like Dungeons & Dragons and GURPS.

A CRPG is an RPG that's played on a computer (or console, or phone, or other computing device). If it's a computer game and is an RPG, then it's a CRPG.

TTRPG, then, can be used for tabletop games that are played with a group of people (usually with one of them being the Game Master or equivalent) sitting around a table, often using miniatures or other props, and typically using dice for random numbers.

(LARP would technically not fit either category, i suppose?) I don't consider any of those things to define the difference between WRPG and JRPG.

I think a bitter approach is to look at how much of the world is simulated.

WRPGs simulate more of the world. For example, a typical town NPC will have a full set of stats, an inventory (which often doubles as shop inventory if the NPC is a shopkeeper), be capable of participating in combat, and can be killed. If there are spells that target others, they can be used on any NPC.

JRPGs, on the other hand, don't. A typical town NPC will just have some dialog script attached to them, which could do things like trigger a shop or battle (and the battle isn't with the NPC, but rather with an enemy (totally separate type of entity) that represents that NPC). If there's no script to start the battle, such NPCs can't be engaged in combat.

One advantage of JRPGs over WRPGs is that they have a much smaller bug surface; even the buggiest JRPGs (like SaGa 1 and Final Fantasy 1/2) have mainly combat bugs that don't escape combat, while games like Morrowind/Oblivion/Skyrim and Ultima 6/7 have bugs affecting a much bigger portion of the game.

It's a name that people have stuck with and it's not going to change no matter have cringe it is. I just take JRPG to mean a Japanese take on computer roleplaying games and games that mimic their design philosophy.

If you want names, I can give a few:

Experience Point Games or Level 'Em Ups for games that have progression systems but no actual roleplaying mechanics.

Stand Around Beating Each Other With Sticks for games that require pattern recognition as opposed to, say, using your wits to gain an advantage in combat.

All Looks, No Books for games with elaborate visual character customization but simple statistical character creation.

Except that you can have progression systems without levels or XP.

Also, incremental games (like Cookie Clicker, but that's only the tip of the iceberg) would fit that description, and most of them wouldn't be called RPGs.

Well….that’s enough Internet for the day.

And don't forget weird hybrid systems where your main bonuses come from clearing rooms rather than incremental progress.

THIS.

Even if Expedition 33 was made in France and Anachronox was made in Texas - yeah, they are so in the JRPG-category.

Both of those so have linearity, turn-based strategic-combat, and the strong narrative & character stuff that so makes JRPG's what they are.

Assassins Creed: Shadows is a JRPG.

If you think about it….every game is an rpg. Unless you are playing yourself as the title character.

Even then…that’s a stretch, as you are still playing a role.

We could go even further down the rabbit hole and speculate on the game of life. Is this a simulation? If so…is it an rpg? Most certainly…as we all have roles in the matrix.

Furthermore…what is love?

BABY DONT HURT ME!

I’m sorry. Lol

A miserable little pile of secrets?