What is a roguelike?Many players ask this question and receive a common answer: a roguelike is a video game that includes procedurally generated levels and permadeath.However, this definition assumes a taxonomist paradigm, prioritizing what elements are present in a game rather than the question of why those elements are present.In this paper, we examine 1) the historical formation of the roguelike genre, 2) the creation of its namesake, Rogue, 3) the establishment of the genre's first formal definition, The Berlin Interpretation, and 4) the gradual manifestation of The Modern Interpretation.Further, we present a new genre term-the Prepare to Die game, or PTD, defined by the question: what makes death meaningful in games?We argue that the commonly cited elements of procedurally generated levels and permadeath are merely tools to achieve variance in play and meaningful consequences for player actions.This shift in framing presents a holistic perspective that highlights experiential architecture and developer motivations, better aligning with the dynamic nature of genre.Further, we propose a descriptive set of vocabulary that can be used to craft inclusive genre descriptions that prioritize design philosophies shaping the very experience of video games.

This paper presents a study that examines tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) players' understanding, attitudes, and perceptions of generative AI (GAI) as it intersects with this creative, hobbyist domain. While general findings regarding challenges and potential harms of GAI are well-explored, much of this exploration centers workplaces concerned with productivity and efficiency. This study values the contrast provided by TTRPG hobbyists in the relatively underexplored domain of a non-professional, creative community that tends to lack corporate pressures. Through a qualitative study using ethnographic interviews and a shared image-generation activity, we explore how TTRPG hobbyists are responding to GAI systems in this environment and describe our participants' mental model of GAI ecosystems. We found that they tend to treat GAI as its own creative medium, using vocabulary attentive to distinct design affordances of GAI systems rather than seeing it simply as a “tool”. Further, we develop the term "creative ethos" to describe how research participants evaluate and navigate such affordances to align with ethical values of creativity fostered by TTRPGs, especially focusing on participants’ aspirations to support artists and resist unethical GAI futures.

This paper presents a study that examines developer perceptions and usage of generative AI (GAI) in a summer professional development program for game development interns focused on mobile game design. GAI applications are in common usage worldwide, yet the impacts of this technology in game development remain relatively underexplored. Through a qualitative study using ethnographic interviews and participatory observation, this paper explores how GAI impacted the workflows, creative processes, and professional identities of early career game developers. We present a case of GAI integration that was not a straightforward adoption. Focusing on the interns’ resistance, negotiation, and reimagining, we show that the interns were actively developing a new professional culture both with and against generative AI. For the interns, their ethical commitments to fellow game developers and the future of their profession were as important as their practical concerns about usability, utility, and efficacy of GAI tools.