The emphasis in role playing games is on increasing the abilities of the characters (stats such as strength, magical power, sword skill and the like) and collecting items (better armor, healing potions, etc) that allow the completion of the quest. Most role playing games are set in fairly open environments that allow the payer to choose from many possible paths, and often include side quests not necessary to the competion of the main goal.
Role playing video games are derived from tabletop versions, the most popular of which was Dungeons and Dragons (which, in a newer incarnation, is still the basis of many current video rpgs).

