GAME – Page 128 – The department of Game Design at Uppsala University, campus Gotland

2017/05/04 - Thu2026/04/26 - Sun - Comments Off
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outreach

A Dangerous Game? Problematic Aspects of Digital Gaming

This is the fifth symposium on digital games hosted by the Swedish Museum of Science and Technology. This time we were discussing game addiction / problematic gaming. Patrick Prax – now officially representing our favorite Department of Game Design – shared his research, taking a holistic approach to treatment.

“Rather than taking games away, we need to add life back.”

Patrick Prax at the symposium "A Dangerous Game? Problematic Aspects of Digital Gaming" — “Focusing **only** on the screen, the game, or even the gamer in treating (or even diagnosing) problem gaming is paradigmatically wrong.”
– Patrick Prax

From the program

More people than ever before are playing digital games. For many it is just an enjoyable leisure activity but games and gaming are also associated with concerns about gaming addiction, violent content and problematic representation as well as hate speech and harassment among players.

The Swedish Media Council report on youth media use (2012) showed that digital games was the media category young people felt most concerned about and was most favorable about age limits for. It was also the media category they felt adults were least interested in.

Is there such a thing as digital gaming addiction and if so, how common is it? Are the gamers affected by violent content and values expressed in games? What are the judicial aspects of harassment in online games? Is the talk of “problematic gaming” just a part of a moral panic? These are some of the questions that will be discussed by our invited speakers at this symposium.

The schedule (for future reference):
9:30-10:00 Registration and fika (coffee). 10:00-10:10 Introduction and Welcome - Peter Du Rietz, Curator at the National Museum of Science and Technology, Tekniska museet. 10:10-11:00 The multiple dimensions of video game effects: Getting beyond dichotomous thinking - Douglas Gentile. Professor of Psychology, Media Research Lab, Iowa State University 11:00-11:30 Behavioral addictions as a Trojan horse - Karin Helmersson Bergmark, Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Stockholm University 11:30-12:30 LUNCH 12:30-13:00 Un-pausing your life: Problem Gaming from the Perspective of Treatment - Patrick Prax, Department of Informatics and Media, Uppsala university. 13:00-13:30 My life as a gaming addict - Fredrik Reis-Nilsson, Gaming addict. 13:30-14:20 Dark game design patterns: Engaging or exploiting the player? - Faltin Karlsen, Professor of Media Studies at Westerdals Oslo School of Arts, Communication and Technology. 14:20-14:50 FIKA (coffee) 14:50-15:20 Cyber hate – Cyber crime? - Amanda Redin, the Swedish Institute of Law and Internet. 15:20-15:50 Gaming culture and the struggle against hate speech - Alexander Hallberg, SVEROK (The Swedish Gaming Federation) 15:50-16:30 Panel discussion

2017/05/04 - Thu2026/04/26 - Sun - Comments Off
3D games
2nd year, GGC 2017

Causality

Causality is a action RPG fantasy game with dimension swapping, where you fight monsters with the focus on the combat system. The player will experience Causality from a third person perspective in 3D. Our main aesthetic will be challenging game play. The dimension swapping mechanic will be a way for the player to heal up, it will be a bar which recharges slowly over time and depletes while in use. The player will stay in the same place when switching dimension, the difference will be in the graphics and sound.

Made in Unity, with 3DS Max, Motion Builder, Photoshop, Motive, Substance Painter 2.

Team:

Joni Nikander – Producer
Stefan Strandberg – Lead Art
Robin Berneby – Lead Programmer
Axel Eriksson – Lead Design
Christoffer Lövdahl – Gameplay Programmer
Niklas Ericsson – Artist

2017/05/04 - Thu2026/04/26 - Sun - Comments Off
Arcade games
1st year, GGC 2017

Not Alone

The spaceship is running on emergency power. You operate the last remaining power in the control center and is your friend’s only hope of reaching the escape pods, but there is an unknown and dangerous presence on the ship.

Not Alone at the Gotland Game Conference 2017

The game is on PC and is made in Unity

Team:

Oscar Berggren – Lead Coder / Designer,
Gabriel Ansgariusson – Lead Sound,
Stella Crawford – Lead Artist/ Producer,
Gabriel Ringmar – Lead Tech,

2017/05/04 - Thu2026/04/26 - Sun - Comments Off
Arcade games
1st year, GGC 2017

Casters

Casters is a game about two wizards dueling each other. With your spellbook at hand you need to craft together spells to overcome your opponent. Casters is a fast paced game where you need to think ahead. Is it the right time to cast an offensive spell? Shield yourself from incoming attacks? Or to use counterspells in a strategic way? Casters is played with our own custom made controller (aka the spellbook).