The Growing Popularity of Onscreen RPG Media
“What the heck are these? Some extra-special Yahtzee dice?”
I twisted the multi-faceted die around in my hands as my (now-ex) boyfriend laughed and began explaining role-playing games. Needless to say, my eyes glazed over as he launched into an overload about stats, classes, and other things I didn’t remember the half of before the day was done.
I am not a gamer and it would be a bald-faced lie to call myself one at all. Third person games make me motion sick and I lack the hand-eye coordination or patience to finish games on anything but Story Mode (which is an incredibly valid way to play a game and don’t let anyone tell you differently). My infrequent brushes in this sphere of nerdom did bring to light popular role-playing games (RPG) such as Dungeons and Dragons and World of Warcraft, but that was as far as I ever strayed into those realms. I was more of the “book under the desk” nerd and had (and still do) enjoy franchises such as Marvel or Star Wars, but roleplaying games to me felt like way too much paper and math that I didn’t want to dive into with everything else I had my hands in.
Wow, how wrong I was.
In the past six months alone, two major gaming franchises have released media on streaming platforms that have brought the once-taboo realm of nerdom into the mainstream spotlight. “Arcane: League of Legends” and “The Legend of Vox Machina” can be found on Netflix and Amazon Prime respectively and as an outside party, I became intrigued with the first, not for its League association, but for the story. League as a whole is described as a “multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game in which the player controls a character ("champion") with a set of unique abilities from an isometric perspective.” Despite this overview Riot, the company who creates League games, does have a number of RPGs available so it’s safe to say that “Arcane”/League falls into a family branch of the more traditional Dungeons and Dragons RPG rules that “Vox Machina” is directly linked to.
The roleplaying community has always been large, but also largely underground. Easily numbering in the thousands, there are campaigns (as the games are called) being waged in eras both in our world, in fictional realms, or in galaxies far far away. Despite the location, what binds them all together is the customization. Stuck in your boring, dead-end job and want to be a half-elf that turns invisible so you can flip off your boss? Check. Or are you of the sort that really just wants to smash everything, while simultaneously being the most delicate tinkerer in your group? Sign right here please.
It’s the freedom of being someone outside of your own skin that is by and large the biggest draw for novice players such as myself and with shows like “Arcane” and “Vox Machina,” their popularity is inevitably only going to grow.
Arcane and Vox are both set in worlds both far and not-so-far removed from our own. Class and economic discrimination, xenophobia, and just learning how to be human (if you so choose to play that way) are just a few of the struggles our characters face during their journey’s through worlds much more magical (and dare I say deadly?) than Earth. What initially drew me to Arcane was (to no one’s surprise), a villain’s speech. Like any good story, is it really fair or nuanced to call Silco a villain? He just wants what’s best for the people in the Undercity, even if his methods are monstrous, and to protect what’s (in his mind) rightfully his, but I digress. In Vox, the loveable and crude band of mercenary misfits known as Vox Machina each carry their own secrets (specifically a certain “No Mercy'' character), but despite their fantastical origins, consumers can easily find something to relate to in these characters across the board.
Another draw that novices and curious parties alike will enjoy as well are what these two franchises also do incredibly well in introducing the worlds and characters to individuals like me who, prior to viewing, have had little to no exposure. Arcane and Vox do a fantastic job of introducing characters, history, and the rules of the society without making newcomers feel lost or talked down to, while old hats can find no shortage of glee in Easter eggs and references to the worlds they have participated in for years. It’s a fine line to walk and both franchises to this point have hit the nail on the head in regards to driving the story forward while also being paced to allow for audiences to both have fun in the moments while on the edge of their seats for what’s to come.
Is it shallow of me to say that the soundtracks are banger as well? I’m pretty sure the Arcane soundtrack has been on repeat for me since the beginning of 2022 and I don’t see that changing any time soon (“Dirty Little Animals” is a personal favorite and anyone who can get Sting to play on their soundtrack has got to be at the top of my playlists). Joking aside, this is another point to pulling newcomers into these settings with music that both delights, thrills, and perfectly conveys the emotion and circumstances surrounding our characters that give a new level of dimension to an otherwise piece of paper, screen, or dice on the board.
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that both of these franchises have had no shortage of controversy. Sexism, racism, utilizing mental illnesses as part of marketing, and just blatant gatekeeping of players (especially those of BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ affiliation) have dominated these industries for years and while many of these issues have been ‘addressed’, it would be dangerously naive of any newcomer wishing to dip their toes into these waters to be unaware of the problems and to find communities that are welcoming of those wanting to start a journey of their own.
As our world continues to be upheaved and experience what seems a new crisis on a daily basis, it’s easy to see how games and its companion media may end up connecting us more than ever before. Going online, it’s so simple to find like-minded individuals who are searching for connection and ways to either escape or process life in skins that they’ve chosen for themselves and ones that may make us all, in the end, feel just a little less alone and the heroes of our own story.
