By john 
Inventory management is one of the oldest mechanics in RPG history, tracing back to text-based adventures where players typed commands to pick up raja toto88 or drop items. These early inventories were purely functional, often presenting items as simple lists with strict weight limits.
During the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, inventory systems became more structured. JRPGs adopted menu-based inventories with item categories—weapons, armor, consumables—and party-wide storage. Western RPGs often used grid-based inventories inspired by tabletop item slots. Games like Diablo popularized the “Tetris-style” inventory, where items occupied different amounts of space, forcing strategic resource management.
The late 1990s and early 2000s continued refining inventory design. Baldur’s Gate used bag slots and quickbars. Morrowind introduced encumbrance and item weight as central mechanics. Meanwhile, JRPGs leaned toward simplicity, offering unlimited or near-unlimited storage to maintain pacing.
Quality-of-life improvements defined the next era. Auto-sorting, favorites menus, crafting materials tabs, and quest-item separation became common. Skyrim, Dragon Age, and The Witcher 3 demonstrated how streamlined UI could enhance player comfort without removing depth.
Today’s RPGs explore minimalistic systems, weightless inventories, or contextual inventories based on player class or character background. Indie RPGs sometimes intentionally revive restrictive designs for added tension or realism.
Inventory systems have evolved from crude lists into carefully balanced mechanics that shape pacing, strategy, and immersion.