Strolling down the road in a brand new, unfamiliar town, taking in the sights, you stop in front of a pleasant-looking house. Lovely big oak door, ruby red slate tiles, stone brickwork stained by sunlight and mud. It’s quaint and cosy, the idyllic village house, perhaps home to a young mother who’s just returned home from the local item shop.
You walk up to the door. Do you knock? Shout? Leave the residents alone? Of course not – you just walk right in, barge into the kitchen, and start shuffling through the shelves. And what do you find? Ah, yes, 50 gold pieces. Perfect.
One of the most absurd things you can do in an RPG isn’t defeating a god or summoning giant creatures from beyond the heavens. It’s the ability to waltz into some random person’s house and go through all of their stuff for some coins, a few items, or maybe even a piece of armour. Oh, and everyone is totally okay with you doing this, too — or, at the very least, they don’t have a clue.
Playing Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake this holiday season has reminded me of just how silly, but also how fun, taking people’s stuff can be. It’s totally antithetical to the main message of these games – the idea that you, this great hero, who has just saved the town of Norvik from a sleeping curse, or rescued the pepper merchant’s daughter from Baharata, can just go around purloining items from people’s houses is just weird. And, worse, I don’t feel guilty! It plays into that RPG power fantasy that RPGs. You can be the hero — but you can also be a bit of a menace, all without consequence.
As with many RPG traditions, it all goes back to Dungeons & Dragons and Ultima. The ability to play with your character’s morality and test the waters. Can you get away with taking a little thing from a house, or slipping your hand into an NPC’s pockets? Maybe! Maybe not.
Japanese-developed RPGs are usually more lenient, letting you get away with most things. Western RPGs usually let you be a bit of a scumbag, with consequences — though, again Skyrim does let you just do whatever you want in people’s houses. If you’re caught stealing in The Witcher III, though, expect some repercussions.
But, gosh, if I don’t get a little dopamine hit when I find a Mini Medal inside a pot in someone’s kitchen, or get a copy of Leap Before You Look from the mayor’s bookshelf.
Even if stealing from houses is immoral, it’s just one of the many ways RPGs reward you for exploring every nook and cranny. While finding Secret Spots on the world map or finding treasure chests tucked behind walls, is enjoyable, there’s an extra little rush from being observant, or using your character’s skills, to find those hidden items inside towns and houses.
Back to Dragon Quest III, at the beginning of the game, I named my character, I rolled through the personality test, and I got something a bit rubbish (Straight Arrow, which, yeah, checks out). Personalities affect your character’s stat growth, so my little Hero, armed with a boomerang, wasn’t super strong – my Thief was hitting harder.
By the time I reached Asham, I was struggling a little. My Hero wasn’t doing much damage, and my Thief was also beginning to plateau. I needed a little boost. Solution? Steal people’s stuff! Specifically, the inn. Somehow, someone left a Tough Guy Tattoo in one of the wardrobes – don’t ask me how, but it was there. So, like any heroic miscreant, I took it, popped it on, and as a result became ‘Tough’, which increased my attack. That made the Pyramid dungeon a little easier.
More RPGs lean towards physically stealing items from people – Octopath Traveler II lets you steal from children, that’s truly immoral (uh, I still did it, even if I failed a “check” and lowered my reputation once or twice). Others put treasure chests inside houses – are you trying to make me feel better about taking stuff from people by making it look like treasure?
More recently, Fantasian Neo Dimension directly acknowledges this trope. Leo can still barge into anyone’s house in classic RPG fashion, and he can open treasure chests or examine sparkly spots on shelves to take items. But in many cases, if you talk to the residents, they will say, “Oh, hey, thanks for saving us. Take what you want!” or something along those lines. Okay, will do! I didn’t need your permission, but I appreciate it, all the same.
Stealing stuff from people’s houses is very ‘video gamey’, but it’s a curious thing. When you are the valiant hero, the good-natured character who helps everyone in need, why are you going through people’s sock drawers? Is the Magic Seed worth it? Will that extra 65GP go towards something helpful?
Oftentimes, it doesn’t make much difference, but the rummaged rewards do build up. Plus, those little jingles as you find secret items are irresistible; the soundbites indulge our curiosity, and beckon us to keep finding those little hits.
Simply put, going through people’s houses is fun. Even if there are consequences (look, I get why you’re calling the guards on me for stealing stuff in The Witcher III), it’s the reward that counts – monetary or otherwise.
Remember, though, kids – don’t barge into your neighbour’s house, smash their pots, or go through their kitchen cupboards in real life. Unless you recently saved them from some great, world-ending evil or something.
What do you think of stealing in RPGs? Are you an honourable hero? Or do you indulge in your evil fantasies? Let us know in the comments.
