Rogue the Dawn of Roguelikes

A New Kind of Adventure

When Rogue appeared in the early 1980s, it was unlike anything most players had ever seen. At a time when games often had fixed maps and predictable patterns, Rogue offered something new: a dungeon that was different every time you played. The game’s entire world was made from ASCII characters. Walls were drawn with #, floors with ., treasures with *, and the player was represented by the now-iconic @. Monsters appeared as single letters such as K for kestrel, O for orc, or D for dragon.

The goal was simple in concept but difficult in execution: descend into the dungeon, survive traps and monsters, find the legendary Amulet of Yendor, and return to the surface alive. Every step mattered. Food was limited, monsters were dangerous, and permadeath meant a single mistake could end your adventure for good.

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#...@.....#
#...T.....#
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The People Behind Rogue

Rogue was originally created by Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman while they were students at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Later, Ken Arnold joined the project, contributing to its technical development. The game was designed for UNIX-based mainframes and terminals, where graphical displays were limited or non-existent. ASCII characters became the natural choice for representing the game world. Rogue spread across universities and research networks such as ARPANET, gaining popularity through word of mouth and early online communities.

How Rogue Played

Rogue used a turn-based, grid-based system where each move you made allowed enemies to act in turn. This made every action deliberate and strategic. The ASCII presentation was not just a technological necessity of the era, it gave the game a unique clarity and allowed players to imagine the details behind each symbol.

The ASCII design of Rogue did more than simply display the game world. Every character on the screen carried meaning. A single letter could tell the player what kind of creature they faced, while different symbols revealed the layout of the dungeon and the location of valuable items. This created a visual language that was instantly readable once learned. Because the graphics were so minimal, much of the atmosphere came from the player’s imagination, turning a simple D into a terrifying dragon or a * into a glittering treasure. The clarity and efficiency of ASCII meant that Rogue could run on almost any terminal, a factor that helped it spread rapidly and remain playable even decades later.

Strategy and Difficulty

Rogue was notorious for its difficulty. Winning was rare, even for experienced players. Success required careful management of food, since running out meant a slow death by starvation. Avoiding unnecessary fights was often wiser than rushing into battle, and using items wisely could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Luck also played a role, as the random generation of the dungeon could just as easily give you a lifesaving weapon as it could throw you into an unwinnable situation. The combination of skill, strategy, and chance made every run unique and unpredictable.

From Rogue to Roguelikes

The success of Rogue inspired a wave of similar games. Developers built on its formula, creating titles like NetHack and ADOM that expanded the range of items, monsters, and mechanics. As more of these games appeared, players needed a quick way to describe them. They began referring to them as “roguelikes” which meant games that were like Rogue in how they played and felt. The term was not about surface details like the ASCII graphics alone, but about the deeper gameplay traits Rogue had pioneered such as procedurally generated dungeons, permadeath, turn-based movement, and a focus on strategic exploration.

The name caught on quickly in online discussions, especially in early Usenet groups where players traded tips, stories, and source code. Over time, roguelike became more than just a casual label and evolved into a recognized genre definition. Today the roguelike genre is thriving on modern platforms. Steam alone lists over 8,600 titles tagged as “Roguelike”, and an additional 861 games tagged as “roguelike deckbuilders” reflect the genre’s adaptability and continued creativity.

In 2008, the Berlin Interpretation formalized what makes a game a roguelike, and many of its high-value criteria came directly from Rogue. While modern roguelikes sometimes use advanced graphics or modified rules, the spirit of the original game remains. The @ symbol still stands as a badge of adventure in ASCII form.

Lasting Legacy

Rogue proved that a handful of symbols on a black screen could create tension, excitement, and immersion. The ASCII aesthetic was not just a limitation of its time but a creative strength, turning letters and punctuation into living worlds. This minimalist visual style has kept the game timeless, as readable and playable today as it was over forty years ago. Rogue was more than just an early computer game. It was the foundation of a genre that continues to challenge and inspire players, proving that with imagination, even the simplest ASCII characters can tell an epic story.

Want to experience the original for yourself? You can play a version of Rogue today via Steam.