Work in neomedieval RPGs

Abstract

While many RPG protagonists begin their journey running minor errands for a local community, such tasks are generally presented as being tied to an interest in self-progression. Work as a regular activity is rarely a defining feature. We take our cue from Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero (Sierra On-line 1989), to consider the place of labour in games with a [neo]medieval setting. In Quest for Glory, our aspiring wandering hero can gain some coins and levels in strength by raking out the stable. This is presented as tediously laborious and literally ‘unskilled,’ but with a neat reward at the end. Such work is optional and framed as something of a joke, mocking the hero’s aspirations in line with the game’s humour and affectionate parody of genre conventions. [Excerpt]