Of course they are role-playing games, you completely assume the role of a character in another world, even with stat sheets. What kind of role-playing game is Deus Ex, where you play a pre-defined character in a pre-defined plot? The Masquarade is certainly a janky fan favourite, but hardly revolutionary. CRPGs made a shift, from being tabletop simulators and dungeon crawlers (with MOMA contenders like Rogue, Wizardry, or as you suggested Ultima) to games about narrative manifolds. Disco Elysium would be my pick.
With Deus Ex you definitely can play very different characters with a broad spectrum of personalities and narrative decisions. Although I do agree that an argument can be made it’s not an RPG.
Eve is a sandbox MMO and The Sims is lifeim, don’t really see how they are RPGs.
Very few RPGs execute the role playing component so well as VTMB IMO.
EVE is described by its publisher as an MMORPG and yeah, you have stats and individual ressources and interact with the world and other players. You play a character, a role, the very definition of a role-playing game. Same with The Sims, but offline for yourself and less geopolitical. RPGs are not only games where you directly control a single character or a group of characters and kill stuff, and sometimes pick a lock or something.
Of course they are role-playing games, you completely assume the role of a character in another world, even with stat sheets. What kind of role-playing game is Deus Ex, where you play a pre-defined character in a pre-defined plot? The Masquarade is certainly a janky fan favourite, but hardly revolutionary. CRPGs made a shift, from being tabletop simulators and dungeon crawlers (with MOMA contenders like Rogue, Wizardry, or as you suggested Ultima) to games about narrative manifolds. Disco Elysium would be my pick.
With Deus Ex you definitely can play very different characters with a broad spectrum of personalities and narrative decisions. Although I do agree that an argument can be made it’s not an RPG.
Eve is a sandbox MMO and The Sims is lifeim, don’t really see how they are RPGs.
Very few RPGs execute the role playing component so well as VTMB IMO.
EVE is described by its publisher as an MMORPG and yeah, you have stats and individual ressources and interact with the world and other players. You play a character, a role, the very definition of a role-playing game. Same with The Sims, but offline for yourself and less geopolitical. RPGs are not only games where you directly control a single character or a group of characters and kill stuff, and sometimes pick a lock or something.