What Makes an RPG?

	Recently many have been asking me for a clear definition of what I consider to be an RPG. Normally, the initial thought is a breakdown of the acronym itself: a Role-Playing Game. I believe this to be too loose of a definition because that could be used to represent a wider scope of video game. Is Super Mario Sunshine an RPG because you play as beloved video game character "Mario" in a tropic island filled with a colorful cast? Is Splatoon an RPG because you play as a kid and or squid and interact in an environment with other kids and or squids? Is I Wanna be the Boshy an RPG because you go on an adventurous tale as :warning: :gun:? Sure, but I'd like to believe that while those fit the definition of playing as a role in a video game, they are more so  defined as a platformer, shooter/platformer, and platformer respectively, since the games prioritize those styles of play over "playing a role."
	What I would consider an RPG is a game where the main form of action, focus, or purpose would be the development of story told through a set of a characters. Sure, a game might have elements of other genres in that you might traverse a 3D space to interact with said characters, but I wouldn't prioritize it as a 3D platformer just for that reason. I could consider it a sub-genre in that case, but I would still define it as an RPG if the focus of the game would be a story unfolding by the interactions of a group of characters.