Gamasutra - The Passage of Time in RPGs

Gamasutra has an interesting blog on the passage of time in rpgs and how it can feature in an rpg.

RPGs pride themselves on having deep immersive gameplay. Usually this is driven by epic narrative and story/character arcs. But have you noticed time doesn't actually pass in Dragon Age, Skyrim, Final Fantasy, or Darkest Dungeon?

• No one ages.
• No townsfolk age and die of natural causes.
• No NPC family grows by having a baby.
• No NPC child ever grows up to adulthood.
• No towns fade away due to declining population; Or villages grow into bustling cities.
• The king/queen/council never lose power - unless directly due to player activity or scripted events.
• Quest lines, usually involving some life & death problem, just sit in stasis until the player feels good and ready to solve it. Be it today, or a figurative 10 years from now!

If my three-year-old wants a cup of juice, she won't wait the time it takes to write this sentence, yet the proverbial inn keeper with giant rats in the basement will happily wait an eternity for you to get around to his problem.

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3. Quests and Due Dates

Quests in Archmage Rises go in a different direction than the trend of "mash the talk button at anyone with an exclamation mark". In our world, NPCs have problems, generated by the simulation based on their life situation, personality, and goals. They need help resolving their problem.

If you have a problem, do you give it to some random stranger that looks good in armor? Probably not. You welcome help from those you trust. So in Archmage Rises the primary source of quests are relationships (there are other sources).

If you ask a friend to help you move, they say yes, but never show up, how does that affect the relationship? I can tell you from personal experience. Before I started dating my wife I did exactly that, and 18 years later she still whips it out in a fight: "Oh Ya?! Well you never helped me move when I was in university!"