Sadly this video was taken down and I cant find it anywhere else.

Do violence in games affect the players, and IF so, how?
How far can a designer go when creating a game? What responsibilities does a game designer have?

Below is a documentary on the subject, first they talk allot about Mortal Kombat and Grand Theft Auto but they also discuss the "snuff" game Manhunt and other things from different perspectives.

I don't think normal violence in games affect players but just watching the kills from the game Manhunt make me feel sick, actually. I have not played the game but it seems to be full of unnecessary violence and murders just for "fun" and "entertainment".

Some of the content of this film is violent (obviously) and this documentary is also very American, you have been warned. :P

I still found it very interesting and recommend you to watch it.
Grab some popcorn and watch this 1 hour 25 min long documentary about game violence.


"Moral Kombat takes a look into the controversial subject of violence in video games. Director Spencer Halpin shows the constant conflict between the game creators' first amendment right to make a violent game and the imminent threat that violence poses on the next generation. In addition, the film is full of the latest green screen and high-definition technology that allow watchers to actually envision the world of gaming. Filled with interviews from lead game designers, politicians, parents, and psychologists, this film provides a candid take on the influence games have on youth today."

Today I came across this great design tour of the game World of Goo by WolfireGames on youtube, if you want to learn some about basic game design such as user interface, game atmosphere and gameplay progression this is definitely a good video to check out!

Now I thought it would be fun to share some of the things I sent in when applying to Futuregames Academy.
Below is a short video of a level I designed during my quality assurance in games course at Gotland University.

We had an assignment to create a building in Hammer Source SDK editor. (Used to create levels for Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Alien Swarm and many other games).

The assignment in short was:

Create a working Half-Life 2 map with the following features:

•     Building with two floors
•     Stairs to the second floor
•     One door that opens by a trigger
•     Glass windows
•     A balcony
•     Player starting position

We had a one week deadline to learn how to do triggers etc and complete all parts of the assignment.


This was my first real attempt to do something in Source SDK, I created allot more things then was required in the assignment, but I learn much and had allot of fun. I believe this assignment is a good way to start learning about level designing and it really helps in bug testing to have knowledge of what could go wrong when mapping.




The goal I had for the map, after completing the assignment objectives was to give it a creepy feeling, as if the church was haunted or something.

I tried to do this with game objects (props) from the Half-life 2 game. Examples of this are the trees with bare branches, the broken statue, and the doll forgotten on the church bench as if a child left in fear.
What I believe really add some feeling to the map is the lighting combined with the skybox and weather effects with the rain.

My friend Sanna is taking the role as our dungeon master for a night!
She wont tell us what rules or system she will use, so that makes it extra exiting.

She have prepared a roleplay adventure and sent us players some questions she made that will determine what kind of character we will be playing.

"Your hear the sound of someone rushing towards you, what are you doing?"

   1. You wait where you are, someone might need help!
   2. Starts running towards the sound, with your weapon ready, it might be an enemy!
   3. You don't want to be seen and hide as fast as possible.

"You are trapped with two enemies in front of you, what are you doing?"

   1. You send your bodyguards to deal with them.
   2. Use speed and reflexes to dodge there attacks and run away as soon as possible.
   3. Takes out a weapon and slay them both.
   4. Hides and waits patiently for them to leave.
   5. manipulate them to attack each other instead of you.

"Is your character able to kill another person?"

   1. Yes, unless I have a use for him/her.
   2. Yes, if he/she is between me and my goal.
   3. Not unless its necessary, everyone have the right to live.
   4. I try to avoid it, bodies attract to much attention.

I found this kind of character creation method with questions to be an interesting and fun way to decide what role and behavior you will have in the game.

I am looking forward to play this game in the near future, and might ad a new blog post about it later.