These forums have a lot of discussion about RPG elements in Destiny. On the one side, you have Halo fans who have been with Bungie since the original Xbox days. On the other side, you have World of Warcarft players and other MMO veterans who know the true meaning of MMORPG. Many of the debates between these two sides go like this: [quote]Halo fan: Bullet sponge bosses suck! MMORPG fan: It's an RPG.[/quote][quote]Halo fan: Bungie made my gear obsolete! MMORPG fan: It's an RPG.[/quote]Reading the forums, I come to the impression that "RPG" is synonymous with every game mechanic that player's hate. Considering this further, I think most of the community has forgotten what RPG means. RPG is short for "role playing game". It's Dungeons and Dragon. The stats game is played with dice and pen and paper, but the heart of the game is playing a role. All those level increases flesh out the capabilities of the character. This works in video games as well. In Elder Scrolls, the leveling system lets you fill in your stats for the way you like to play. In Pokemon, you choose how you want your Pokemon to fight. Though many RPG games are tedious, the central core of the game is making choices and using strategy to win. Now lets talk about some modern gaming conventions that have nothing to do with role playing. Game companies want to make profits so they have to sell new content. When all of your hard fought gear is made obsolete with a new expansion, that's not role playing, it's business. Micro-transactions that let you skip levels is not role playing. In fact, level boosts are the opposite of role playing. Micro-transactions to sell you new gear is also no role playing. Rule of thumb, if you are not actually playing, it's not role playing and it certainly isn't a game. To quote the Lego Movie, "It's just business. Lord Business." Now let's talk about some game mechanics that also have nothing to do with role playing. Bullet sponges and enemies with high health are a hold over from table top gaming days. Getting your buddies together to take down a boss in Dungeons and Dragons would be a pretty big let down if you defeated the boss in one turn. The same is true for video games. You need tension and suspense as well enough turns to make strategy a worthwhile concept. However, these pro-bullet sponge factors play the opposite in a real time action game like Destiny. In a real time game, strategy is about movement, position, and timing. With bullet sponge bosses, the sole strategy is staying in a spot with a clear shot at the boss and then shooting the boss for several minutes until the boss dies or you run out of ammo. Bullet sponge bosses are about as tense and suspenseful as an eight hour car trip. Lastly, Destiny is most definitely not an RPG. You control a nameless Guardian who you rarely speaks and never makes choices. For all you know, you could be playing Master Chief from Halo. If you made all of the enemies and the games the same level and replayed the game, it would play out exactly the same. The guns may change but the Guardian remains the same. The ability and gear unlocks and light level upgrades are an illusion. Although the upgrading feels good, it is a zero sum game. Every hard core player has all three classes unlocked, all nine subclasses unlocked, and all the same guns and armor. My roster of Guardains is interchangeable with anyone who has played 1300+ hours like I have. Unlocking and leveling up gear is not role playing, it's game mechanic. So when you see someone complain about Destiny's light system or the next boss, don't tell them Destiny is an RPG. Tell them Destiny is a game with game mechanics. You won't be anymore helpful, but at least you'll be accurate.