Who made the first RPG video game

The first RPG video game didn’t appear overnight, it grew out of experiments that blended imagination, strategy, and technology in new ways. Somewhere in the 1970s, one project in particular broke through, shaping the path for everything that followed. But who made the first RPG video game, and what made it stand apart from the rest?

The birth of role-playing games in the 1970s

The 1970s marked a turning point for role-playing games, laying the groundwork for the games we know today. In this decade, role-playing games evolved from tabletop adventures into early digital experiments, inspiring some of the first video game adaptations.

Core features like character progression, turn based combat, and meaningful narrative choices took shape, defining how players interact with stories and systems. These innovations in role-playing games created a lasting framework that bridged traditional tabletop play with emerging computer technology, setting the stage for modern RPGs across consoles and PC.

Early text-based RPGs and their creators

Early text-based RPGs played a key role in shaping the games we love today.

Even when digital technology was limited, creators built text-based RPGs that focused on story, exploration, and choice.

These games introduced features like inventory management and turn-based combat, showing how interactive storytelling could thrive with simple text.

Thanks to these early text-based RPGs, the groundwork was set for modern RPG design and deeper narrative experiences in gaming.

The impact of Dungeons & Dragons on video games

Dungeons & Dragons has had a huge impact on video games, especially RPGs. Since the early 1970s, Dungeons & Dragons inspired deep storytelling, character classes, and progression systems that shaped how developers build games.

Thanks to Dungeons & Dragons, video games embraced immersive narratives and player-driven choices, leading to modern RPGs with rich worlds, strategic combat, and meaningful customization.

Pioneering titles: the first dungeon crawlers

Early developers took inspiration from tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons to create the first dungeon crawlers, bringing the thrill of dungeon exploration to digital screens.

These pioneering titles introduced innovative level design and character classes, letting players navigate complex mazes and experiment with different playstyles.

Key developers behind the earliest RPGs

When exploring the origins of early RPGs, the contributions of key developers behind the earliest RPGs stand out for their innovation and vision.

Their breakthroughs in gameplay mechanics and storytelling set the stage for the genre. Developer collaborations fostered creative exchanges, accelerating the growth of role-playing games across platforms.

These pioneering figures laid foundational design principles that influenced countless subsequent titles, marking a critical phase in video game history.

For anyone interested in game design or classic titles, studying the key developers behind the earliest RPGs offers valuable insight into how modern RPGs evolved.

Evolution from text to graphics in RPGS

As technology advanced, RPGs evolved from text-based adventures to visually rich experiences. Early RPGs used simple text to describe game worlds, but the shift to graphics brought deeper visual immersion and clearer feedback.

This evolution in RPGs made complex environments and characters easier to understand, improving storytelling and gameplay. Today, RPGs continue to push visual design, proving how graphics can enhance player engagement while keeping the heart of RPGs—choice and narrative—front and center.

Influence of university and laboratory projects

The influence of university and laboratory projects on RPGs played a major role in shaping modern game design. These academic efforts explored new interactive storytelling techniques and experimented with graphical rendering and user interface design.

Thanks to the influence of university and laboratory projects, early RPG developers gained access to foundational tools and concepts that helped them move from simple text-based adventures to visually immersive experiences.

Today, the lasting influence of university and laboratory projects can be seen in the advanced graphics, smarter AI, and intuitive UI found in many popular games.

Legacy of the first RPG video games

The legacy of the first RPG video games still shapes the genre we love today.

Even with modern graphics and open worlds, the core ideas from the first RPG video games—like character progression, player choice, and immersive storytelling—remain essential.

This early influence built the blueprint for quest design, party systems, and deep narratives, inspiring countless titles and proving that the foundations set by the first RPG video games continue to guide how developers build engaging, player-driven experiences.

Conclusion

The origins of the first RPG video game trace back to early computer labs, where developers blended text-based adventures with the mechanics of tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Many credit Richard Garriott’s 1980 release, Akalabeth: World of Doom, as a key step toward the first RPG video game with graphics, moving the genre beyond pure text. These early experiments laid the groundwork for leveling, character stats, and dungeon crawling—core features that still define the first RPG video game experiences and continue to influence modern game design.