PC Gamer: RPGs are simply better when you play an 'idiot'
GG Brief Editorial Desk · AI-assisted, source attributed
PC Gamer Online Editor Fraser Brown argues in the Dungeon Master column (published 11 October 2026) that RPGs are simply better when you play an 'idiot'. Brown contrasts the genre's common power fantasy—where players are competent heroes—with the appeal of playing foolish or less-capable characters. He presents this as a personal preference and illustrates it with everyday anecdotes such as dropping dinner and getting trapped on a bus. The piece appears as part of PC Gamer's regular Dungeon Master column.
- What happened: PC Gamer's Fraser Brown wrote in the Dungeon Master column (published 11 October 2026) that role-playing games are simply better when you play an 'idiot'.
- Why it matters: The column challenges the genre's usual emphasis on power fantasy by highlighting the enjoyment Brown finds in playing incompetent or foolish characters.
- Context: The article is a personal feature by PC Gamer's Online Editor Fraser Brown and uses personal anecdotes (for example, dropping dinner and being trapped on a bus) to explain the preference; the provided excerpt does not cite statements from developers or specific game releases.
- What next: The piece is an opinion column and does not announce any confirmed changes, releases, or actions by game developers or publishers.
What changed
PC Gamer columnist Fraser Brown set out an argument that playing an incompetent or foolish character can make role-playing games more enjoyable. He frames this preference against the typical RPG focus on being capable, clever heroes.
Before and after
- Before: Brown describes the common selling point of many videogame RPGs as a power fantasy in which the player is competent and destined to succeed.
- After: Brown proposes that intentionally playing an 'idiot' offers a different, personally satisfying way to experience RPGs, supported by his own anecdotes about everyday clumsiness.
Limits
- The excerpt is an opinion piece and does not report any announcements by developers, publishers, or specific game titles.
- The provided evidence is a column by PC Gamer's Fraser Brown (published 11 October 2026) and should be read as the author's viewpoint rather than an industry-wide finding.