The fantasy genre is represented in several different media, such as literature, film, japanese anime, videogames and RPG. Sorry if this sounds too expositive, but please bear with me.
My point is that I feel like the RPG medium doesn't make nearly as many creative contributions to the fantasy genre as a whole as do the other media (with the possible exception of the film industry).
Sure, fantasy has its roots in literature and therefore it's natural that many cliches, stereotypes and original ideas come from that medium. After all it came a long time before RPGs were created. But after a while the RPG industry should have started to catch up in the creativity and originaly department. And I'm not confident it has. At least not to the extent that other media such as videogames and japanese manga/anime have.
Now perhaps this is partly due to the fact that console RPGs, manga and anime are mostly produced by asian cultures - cultures that are different enough from western traditions as to offer fresh perspectives and ideas to the genre. But I don't think this is the only factor.
Even if we look at the work of contemporary artists and designers in these various fields, it's much easier to find more innovation and fresh ideas outside of the RPG industry. Just to name a few, there's Lain, Texhnolyze, Boogiepop Phantom and many others in the anime department; then there's the Final Fantasy series, Xenosaga, Vagrant Story, Shin Megami Tensei and various others in the videogame industry. In fantasy literature, you'll find New Crobuzon and the world of Bas-Lag, A Song of Ice and Fire, Hard-boiled Wonderland, Warbreaker and many others. Now quite honestly, what do we have in the RPG industry today that isn't a retake of the ideas originally presented in all the work from other media I mentioned above? I can think of only a few shining exceptions, such as Lacuna Part 1. Planescape and Nobilis would also fit in this category, but they are no longer being produced or distributed (unless we count the PS pdfs).
Perhaps the film industry shares this same knack for doing retakes on ideas and stories from other media, but hey, they did give us The Matrix at least.
So I suppose my questions would be: do you agree with me? Disagree? If you agree, why do you think this is the case? Any other thoughts on the matter?
When you are putting millions of dollars on the line making a game, and when what sells in the US is largely graphics driven games, it is hardly any surprise that major studios aren't taking a whole lot of risks (not unlike movie studios). Fantasy is a fringe genre and consequently has a comparatively small audience. The 80's and 90's were the heyday of RPGs because most gaming studios were small and willing to take risks. I'm not entirely sure why the Japanese market is all that different (Although I think you are right about the connection to anime, but my money is on the mass appeal stories of teenage angst have there. 95% of Japanese RPGs concern some angtsy teenager or group of teenagers trying to save the world, and frankly I think that particular subgenre is played out. You will note that nothing like Planescape: Torment or really any other RPG with an adult theme has ever seem to come out of Japanese gaming studios. Invariably it is giant swords and/or mecha plus angtsy teens plus world ending crisis.
There are good RPGs out there, but if you are looking for story and concept, most of those games are indie games you pay $5-10 for, so if you are expecting to find great RPGs in the studio realm, you are looking in the wrong place. Until independent studios really take a hold again (which I think is starting to happen), and until people start looking at videogames as a potential artform (which is also starting to happen) I think it is only natural that the studios treat it as an entertainment investment. How many toy companies release avante-guarde train sets? Right now videogames are essentially made with that mindset. Let make a toy that sells. Very few people care about the artistic merit of the game, so it is no surprise we don't get many great stories.
That said, I would love to see more of that kind of thing, and there are indie studios really driving in that direction, so perhaps your question is in the process of being answered and made manifest. But since generally speaking one guy cant sit at a computer and make a game in a year like a novelist can write a book, and since games are made through committee, and since the market for games is driven by a young audience with a short attention span it might take a while for that kind of game making to break through.