Uncovering and the Uncanny: The Roguelike as Gothic Game

This article explores the gothic dimensions of Roguelike video games, through procedural content generation (PCG) and its impact on spatiality and narrative. Focusing on The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth + (2017) as a case study, it argues that the ever-changing layouts produced by PCG evoke the uncanny, creating disorienting and unmapped spaces. The risk-reward exploration of the dangerous, unsettling environments of Roguelikes enhances feelings of dread and disorientation commonly shared by protagonists of Gothic texts such as Crimson Peak (2015), The Loney (2014), and The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794). By examining the intersection of game mechanics and gothic aesthetics, the article demonstrates how Roguelike games uniquely contribute to the Gothic mode, leveraging PCG to produce affective emotional states and a perpetually evolving narrative experience. It positions the Roguelike game as inherently Gothic, and PCG as a vital tool in the creation of gothic atmospheres in contemporary video games.