| I think it is largely because the characters behave how people that we know would behave if put in that situation. Even the evil people have some redeeming features, and the good have their faults. Some of the good for example would be a right pain in the butt if we had to work with them.
The sound effects do help, but that is not the whole story as I have to play without sound when a lot of the time.
Often in RPGs, you can'y empathise with the characters.
Another factor is that there is considerably more freedom of choice than in a lot of games. This helps you to feel as if you are making the decisions, not some programmer who has specified how the game should be played. |