If many people say that hardcore RPGs are dying, let's figure out when did this phenomenon occur. It's pretty easy to see that modern RPGs lack the depth of their predecessors. There are few developers who stick to their rules and try to give a great experience to the player. One of these developers is BioWare. We can look at Mass Effect. It's an outstanding game, with many pluses to its gameplay, graphics, storyline and so on. And it does suck you in, mostly because of the superb writing and plot. But it's way too easy to get into the experience. I must admit that this is what innovation does. Making people dive right into a game, without needing a complete background of the developer's repertoire. And without knowing the AD&D ruleset. Yes, AD&D. Yes, the nerds' quarter. Many people don't know what hit dice and THAC0 mean, and they don't need to know, if they want to climb aboard a great modern RPG. Evolution has its perks. In the games industry, evolution made games a bit more casual, easier for non-nerds to try and experience. And that is admirable. But, let's pretend we're doing a VH1 special, and 'remember the 90s'.  Before the gracious year 2000, gaming was considered magical. And RPGs were considered the most arcane magics of all. There were whispers in the corners of a classroom, an office desk or in the back of a bus. People exchanging strategies and tactics, thoroughly discussing each element of their beloved game. We don't have that anymore. Companies have managed to combine that 'art' with the mainstream path that the games industry takes. Some call it prostitution, others call it just typical evolution. But the most alarming thing is that 'old timers' have lost their hobby. Sure, they play a lot of RPGs even now, most of them, but seeing a Dragon Age: Origins commercial on MTV, they just mumble and sigh, sadly remembering that something... something deep, was taken from them.

Let us remember Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment. These jewels of the game industry have planted seeds of harmony in most gamers' heads. And I say most, because traditional RPGs always had a bit of a steep learning curve, and not all of us wanted to give tens of hours to a piece of software. But most of us sacrificed that. And maybe more. I remember when I was young, when Baldur's Gate was considered a modern RPG. Fallout was considered a post-modern RPG (it went well with the 'post-apocalyptic' subtitle). And now, that's all gone. We don't even classify an RPG as being 'modern'. We just take it for granted.

But when people, on forums, on the streets, or in bars, talk about the death of traditional RPGs, they almost never say 'traditional'. Because to them, 'traditional' is a core part of an RPG. It needs to have strict rules, or else it fails to deliver. And I can understand that point of view. But people never ask themselves: If the killing blow was not yet received by this genre, who started it all? What was game that started the slow murder of RPGs?

The answer is simple: Diablo. The first combat oriented RPG. This small game started a whole phenomenon. It brought RPGs to the whole world. Even before gaming started to rule the world, before the dreaded year 2000, it paved the way. It changed something. Perhaps many people haven't tried Diablo when it came out. But surely two or three years later, hearing from someone, in the corner of a classroom, or an office, or a bus... they tried it. They loved it. It was a superb game. No one can disagree on this subject. Most of us played it, and even more people played its successor, Diablo 2, that put all other games in from this genre to bow down in submission. Imitators came along, borrowing or stealing the formula, taking perhaps the genre in many directions, until the CRPG was born, or, more suitably known as 'hack and slash'. Although the learning curve has been leaned, still, the degree of immersion was staggering in a hack and slash. Maybe the story, maybe the characters, or maybe just the tried-and-true clickfest, but something always kept most gamers coming back to this genre.

But really now, I ask you all: Was depth here really sacrificed? Or maybe, it has just evolved into something else?