In the context of videogames, what are the feelings involved when one is engaged in physical violence? Or on the flip side: what interactions -with which qualities – bring about a sensation of being a part of a violent altercation? Such is the question guiding the research-creation project developed by Christopher Noël [student, UQAT] at the Milieux Institute during a Hexagram residency in June 2025.
A Violent Videogame is the outcome of this project. It is a meta first-person shooting game that explores two distinct interpretations of violence in games: one classic approach tied to militarism, realism and tactical gameplay; and the other centered on cruelty, difficulty and brutality.
Sharp mind…
The foundation of Noël’s project is an atomist approach he developed in his master’s thesis: the estheme (Noël 2021). Comparable to other concepts dissecting wholes into parts – such as the narratheme (Propp 1971) – the estheme seeks to identify the constitutive elements of an aesthetic experience. For instance, physicality and suffering would be esthemes of violence. While this proved to be a useful tool for theoretical analysis, Noël sought to explore its practical application – thus the genesis of A Violent Videogame.
One of the theoretical backbones of this project is somaesthetics, a branch of philosophy concerned with bodily sensations (soma), as developed by Richard Shusterman (2008). Within this framework, Noël implemented elements such as heavy breathing, field-of-view heart pulse effects, camera shakes (“head bobs”), camera sway and roll. Additionally, he adopted a practice of reflexive journaling (Moon 2008) as his primary data collection method. Begun in 2022, this journal now contains more than 100 entries, totaling more than 60 pages.
…and sharp tools
Building on his previous skills in animation, film and videogame production, Noël chose to work with industry-standard tools he was already familiar with: Autodesk Maya and Unreal Engine. Since the project studies bodily sensations, it was necessary to feature a strong presence of bodies within the game. This relates both to the presence of multiple human bodies in the game and to the fact that the creation process required deep physical engagement from the researcher. As such, Noël used motion capture for both body and facial animation, integrating it into gameplay and cinematic sequences.
The acting segments and movements were captured by Noël himself at the motion-capture facilities of UQAT in Rouyn-Noranda.After all, one cannot make a project about bodily sensations without involving their own body!
Here is a short preview of a cinematic sequence that serves as an introduction to the game, providing the metanarrative context in which a character invites the player to explore A Violent Videogame.
Acting segment for the game’s introductory cinematic sequence.
Digging deeper
The theoretical framework of estheme led to a focus on simple, subtle parts of the experience that could be implemented individually.
During the course of the game, a somewhat hidden variable – referred to as ‘heat’– modulates the parameters listed here according to a curve asset.
Each parameter is associated with its own curve, where ‘heat’ serves as the horizontal axis and a contextual value as the vertical axis. This value is tipically a multiplier (ranging from 0.5 to 2) that is read whenever the parameter is used, allowing to dynamically adjust it.
For example, in the game, ‘heat’ is gained by killing quickly and lost by taking damage, among other factors.
So during gameplay, this mechanic introduces a rising somatic intensity that correlates with the (fictional) violent acts committed by the player within the game’s context.
This system enables precise control over the aesthetic experience emerging from the gameplay. It allows for the easy addition of new parameters, fine-tuning how each is modified, and provides a centralized overview of all variables involved in the study.
On the left, the curve that adjusts motion blur depending on the current heat value; on the right, its implementation within the code.
In the trenches
While development of A Violent Videogame is underway since this fall, the project has significantly advanced during the Milieux residency at Hexagram. What began as a collection of systems evolved to a fully realized videogame that stands on its own and provokes intense reactions. The development process was supported by several collaborators for programming, sound design and 3D modeling, and that extensive use was made of commercially available assets and plugins.
Gameplay footage, A violent videogame.
The development of the game itself is largely complete at this stage, but an important phase of the research remains: conducting playtests and interviews to gather data. The semi-structured interviews are designed to explore players’ emotional responses, in order to understand their feelings and perceptions of the fictional violence experienced during gameplay. These sessions are scheduled to take place over the summer and, once transcribed, the interview data will inform the thesis writing.
After the bloodbath
The current intention looking forward, is to eventually release the game on platforms like itch.io and Steam. From there, two parallel directions are envisioned: public and academic. On the public front, plans include promoting the game through a launch event and outreach streamers, with the hope that the novelty, shock value and strong Québécois identity will resonate with people. On the academic front, the goal is to present the project’s underlying theoretical framework through exhibitions and conferences.
Looking beyond this project, preliminary research has already begun into how movement and bodily sensations can be used to convey what if feels like to be some-body else (Noël 2025). This line of inquiry is most likely to guide future work. Through this research-creation, Noël’s personal interest in violent videogames has evolved into a broader exploration of the body’s somatic dimension. The aim is to investigate how virtual or augmented reality, artificial intelligence, video games and elements such as posture, clothing, space, and prosthetics can be combined to create aesthetic experiences of another’s body – ultimately fostering understanding and empathy.
Christopher Noël is a PhD candidate in game studies at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue. He also teaches animation and game design as a lecturer at UQAT, aftergaining experience in the videogames and visual effects postproduction industries. His doctoral research-creation focuses on the aesthetics of violence in video games using a research-through-design approach, which involves the creation of a videogame and conducting playtests with it. He is passionate about theoretical and practical questions related to the body, its movement and sensations.
Collaborators
Marianne Kake is a project manager and 3D environment artist with a penchant for stylized art. She currently works at Le Catnip Collective, using her wide variety of skills in design, business development, production and tech art. In parallel to working at the studio, she is also a lecturer at UQAT, where she teaches Unreal Engine and project management to game artists. She gained experience overseeing multiple productions and offers her service as a production consultant. She is always eager to marry art and efficiency by finding the best workflows to create meaningful experiences.
Emile Paré-Allinger is a gameplay programmer in Unreal Engine. Recently graduated from his bachelor’s degree where he completed the student project Bolt’n’Punch, he is always looking for his next challenge.
Louis Lamontagne is a tools and gameplay programmer specializing in Unreal Engine. Throughout his years in the indie scene, he developed a passion for developing character controllers and cameras in games. He extended his skillset to online programming, creating systems with multiplayer considerations in mind. On top of working in a studio, he is also a lecturer at UQAT, sharing his vast knowledge with the next generation of developers, as well as offering programming consultation to other studios. He loves mathematics and is passionate about game design and optimization.
Kai Ming Chau is a sound designer, mixer and musician with a degree in programming, seeking to push the limits of the auditive experience.
References
Moon, Jennifer A. 2008. A handbook of reflective and experiential learning: theory and practice. Reprinted. London : RoutledgeFalmer.
Noël, Christopher. 2021. « L’esthétique de la violence vidéoludique: la danse sanglante de DOOM ». Masters’ thesis, Université de Montréal. https://hdl.handle.net/1866/26509.
———. 2025. « Every-body at Play: Fostering Understanding of the Somatic to Enrich Play Experiences ». Acta Ludologica 8 (1) : 98‑116. https://doi.org/10.34135/actaludologica.2025-8-1.98-116.
Propp, V. 1971. Morphology of the Folktale: Second Edition. Directed by Louis A. Wagner. Translated by Laurence Scott. Austin : University of Texas Press.
Shusterman, Richard. 2008. Body consciousness: a philosophy of mindfulness and somaesthetics. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press.
