In this article, I attempt to define the ways in which contemporary architects enrich their design toolkit by recuperating specific gaming notions. By focusing on the systematic development of these architectural trajectories during the first decade of the 21st century, I examine the work of Dutch architectural practices Oosterhuis-Lénárd (ONL) and MVRDV. Although none of them put the videogame at the forefront of their respective endeavours, I attempt to highlight the notions of gaming that appear within their wider projects of redefining architectural practice in the information age. Kas Oosterhuis uses gaming concepts in order to define one’s real-time relation with an architectural project, irrespectively of its (digital or physical) ontological status. On the other hand, MVRDV’s Spacefighter application (2007) is also situated within a specific trajectory of architectural research that starts from the concept of ‘datascapes’ (1998) and leads to the production of software that supports their design process. By interpreting these different approaches as oscillating between the ideal figures of architects in the guise of programmers and gamers, I conclude with some further thoughts on the prospects still latent in the possible recuperation of the videogame as a design tool.