The RPG Masters

Step inside the imaginations of the creators who shaped the greatest role playing games of our time.

From Richard Garriott's early experiments in moral world building to Hironobu Sakaguchi's sweeping emotional epics, from Shigeru Miyamoto's quiet lessons in exploration to Tetsuya Nomura's vivid and unforgettable characters, this book follows twelve extraordinary visionaries who transformed interactive fantasy forever. Their work gave us the courage of the Avatar, the hope of a chosen hero, the mystery of distant kingdoms, and the enduring belief that a world made from imagination can change the one we live in.

You will meet designers who challenged every rule of the medium, including Yuji Horii who brought mythic simplicity to millions of players, Brenda Romero who helped shape the earliest digital labyrinths, Ken Rolston whose vast open worlds redefined player agency, and Tetsuya Takahashi whose philosophical stories reached for the deepest questions of identity. These are the minds behind the memories we carry from one generation to the next.

Told with warmth and clarity, this book is both a tribute to classic role playing games and a meditation on the creative spirit itself. Whether you grew up with Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, The Elder Scrolls, Kingdom Hearts, or the countless adventures they inspired, you will find here the story of how worlds are made, and why they stay with us long after the screen fades.

The architects of adventure await. Enter their worlds once more.