Players Retell This Story: A Critical Analysis of AI, Storytelling, and Meaning-Making Processes in Rimworld

This paper explores what kind of language and discourse players use in their Rimworld retellings, how they interpret the story elements provided by Rimworld AIs, whether there is a particular common trend in players' retellings, and whether player-generated narratives exhibit ethically controversial features. Using critical discourse analysis, the study analyzed retelling videos posted on YouTube based on gameplay experiences shaped by an AI narrator. The findings show that players tend to resort to racist, sexist and culturally controversial discourses in their retellings, using humor as a means to mask these discourses. The study reveals how the AI narrator affects the actors' signification processes and the potential for ethically controversial consequences of these processes. © 2025 by IGI Global Scientific Publishing. All rights reserved.