My answer to the question in the thread title is a firm No.
I rarely have firm answers to questions about what RPGs can or cannot be. I've played in so many games over the years that have entirely different premises and aesthetic sensibilities.
I agree with you to the extent that playing or running an RPG is not equal to writing or reading a novel.
But RPGs can certainly have many literary characteristics, as Ralif Redhammer pointed out:
We draw influences from a variety of sources, after all. Two of the published AD&D modules are inspired by the works of Lewis Carroll. Many years ago, I ran a campaign that was pretty much Hamlet. Not in quality, mind you, I'd never go that far. But the plot was directly taken from Hamlet, albeit with an evil wizard and whatnot.
And we can absolutely have a "finely crafted narrative" in gaming. The difference is that that narrative creates itself collaboratively, as we play, rather than being written out.
I played in a great Traveller campaign once that we later learned was based on the Goldilocks fairy tale. I've played in explicit Middle Earth games where a strong understanding of Tolkien canon was a requirement. I've played in games where the players were expected to write up each session as a narrative that was later edited and self-published into a book. I'm an advisor for a student who is designing a roleplaying game with deep roots in his study of Alice in Wonderland.
And, from another angle, many literary elements are useful in RPGs: foreshadowing, pacing, rising action, climax, denouement, etc. Players and GMs who can describe developments with precision, efficiency, and eloquence tend to be the types of players I enjoy playing with. These are also qualities I appreciate in fiction.
So I'm not sure how to usefully tease apart the differences.
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