God Throws Dice -- The History of Western Role-Playing Games

Author: Chen Zhuo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book primarily introduces the history and culture of Western role-playing games. It is rich in content, vivid in writing, and full of passion, incorporating the author's own gaming experiences to create a deeply engaging narrative. God Throws Dice—let you relive those exciting days and those once thrilling gaming masterpieces! The book starts with the origins of tabletop role-playing games, the ancestors of computer role-playing games, and traces the development of computer role-playing games up to the end of 2004, when the genre again fell into a slump. It spans the entire 20th century, with a particularly detailed review of the development of computer role-playing games during the two decades of the 1980s and 1990s. The book chronologically tells the story of how the Genesis, Warcraft, and Myst series dominated an era before gradually fading away; how the Golden Box series sparked a high point in computer role-playing games; and how The Elder Scrolls, Diablo, and Fallout shone brightly during the difficult times of computer role-playing games. It also explores how Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment led a new trend at the turn of the century. The book dedicates a special section to introducing the "Father of Dungeons & Dragons," the "King of Britain," and also pays tribute to the well-developed non-player characters in Baldur's Gate. Finally, it concludes with a respectful biography of Black Isle, one of the most tragic game development teams in the history of computer role-playing games.