RPG simply grow out from pen-and-paper RPGs, which are basically collaborative storytelling.
> Moreover, there seems to be way too much stuff to collect. And if keeping the right stuff is important, it's not at all clear what the tradeoffs are.
I'd like to know what kind of RPGs you're talking about here. In most good RPGs (e.g. the great days of Black Isle & al), packratting is very much optional. Packratting tends to be a characteristic of A-RPG more than "Western" (aka "true") RPGs.
> The quests tend to be rather similar and are not much fun.
> There's also too much grinding.
Same question as above, a good RPG is a crafted experience, and a well crafted experience is terrific. Would you per chance be talking about MMORPGs?
> but they are not as fundamental as chess. There's too much to learn and it's not obvious why people would find them fun.
Chess and go and other such games are simplifications of war from a general's point of view. They're played by people who want to battle strategically without shedding blood. RTS are "realifications" of those, standing closer to actual wars. That's why they're fun: you build yourself, you set up strategy and tactics, you try to understand your opponent's and react to that, ...
> Moreover, there seems to be way too much stuff to collect. And if keeping the right stuff is important, it's not at all clear what the tradeoffs are.
I'd like to know what kind of RPGs you're talking about here. In most good RPGs (e.g. the great days of Black Isle & al), packratting is very much optional. Packratting tends to be a characteristic of A-RPG more than "Western" (aka "true") RPGs.
> The quests tend to be rather similar and are not much fun.
> There's also too much grinding.
Same question as above, a good RPG is a crafted experience, and a well crafted experience is terrific. Would you per chance be talking about MMORPGs?
> but they are not as fundamental as chess. There's too much to learn and it's not obvious why people would find them fun.
Chess and go and other such games are simplifications of war from a general's point of view. They're played by people who want to battle strategically without shedding blood. RTS are "realifications" of those, standing closer to actual wars. That's why they're fun: you build yourself, you set up strategy and tactics, you try to understand your opponent's and react to that, ...