Define "Gamplay"

[Wolf Kanno]

I've noticed this comes up when I discuss the topic of an RPG's gameplay but I kind of feel that I am often coming from a very different place from others when I discuss what an RPG's gameplay is. So when you say gameplay in terms of the genre of RPG, what does that actually entail to you?

[Burgermiester85]

RPG is kind of a funny genre because it seems to be defined a lot more by things other than the gameplay mechanics. Its defined by having big story, a cast of playable characters, and most of all, leveling up (which is a mechanic of gameplay but in a more indirect way than say a shooter is to the mechanic of shooting). Id probably define the gameplay of an RPG as "a game where you select actions from a list" as opposed to being directly tethered to a button press, because if all the other elements are there but the action is direct, we redefine it as an action rpg. Hows that sound?

[Pheesh]

Don't overthink it. If you pressed a button to do something then it's gameplay. Did you push a button to make your character attack? Gameplay. Did you pick the perks for your character upon levelling up? Gameplay. Did you choose a dialogue option from a list of possible options? Gameplay.

The parts of the game (any game) you can't control are lumped into plot, character design, and dialogue. Anything that isn't one of those things is most likely going to be gameplay.

[Ayen]

Don't overthink it. If you pressed a button to do something then it's gameplay. Did you push a button to make your character attack? Gameplay. Did you pick the perks for your character upon levelling up? Gameplay. Did you choose a dialogue option from a list of possible options? Gameplay.

The parts of the game (any game) you can't control are lumped into plot, character design, and dialogue. Anything that isn't one of those things is most likely going to be gameplay.

I agree with this and was basically coming in here to say, "Uhh... I press buttons and it makes the game stuff move."

[Mirage]

Gameplay is any part of the game where you are making decisions and choices that affect how the game progresses. So changing the game's background music doesn't, but setting a combat skill does.