Short answers, pulled from the story.
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting, making choices that affect the story. Actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules, and a game master typically presents the setting, arbitrates outcomes, and maintains narrative flow. The format ranges from tabletop discussion to live-action performance to digital play.
Dungeons and Dragons was the first commercially available role-playing game, published in 1974. It was inspired by fantasy literature and the wargaming hobby. Its popularity gave rise to the entire tabletop role-playing game industry.
In a tabletop role-playing game, players sit together and describe their characters' actions through discussion, with a game master narrating outcomes. In a live-action role-playing game (LARP), players physically act out their characters' actions in real locations, often in costume, using props and sometimes simulated weapons. LARPs can range from a handful of participants to several thousand.
As early as 1974, the same year Dungeons and Dragons was published, unlicensed versions appeared on mainframe university systems under titles such as dnd and Dungeon. These early computer RPGs influenced all of electronic gaming and spawned the role-playing video game genre. Single-player and multiplayer RPG video games both trace their terminology, settings, and mechanics back to tabletop predecessors.
Tabletop role-playing games declined in popularity in the late 1990s due to competition from online MMO RPGs, role-playing video games, and collectible card games. They experienced a resurgence between the mid-2010s and early 2020s, driven by actual play web series and online play through videoconferencing during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Tabletop role-playing games are used in therapy settings to help individuals develop behavioral, social, and language skills. Beneficiaries commonly include young people with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and dyslexia.