Hi, I’m Oliver Karlsson.

I’m a UX designer, mechanics tinkerer, narrative nut, and lifelong modder.

Welcome to theKeep!

This is my personal, curated collection of digital curiosities. Think of it as the internet equivalent of that intriguing junk drawer we all secretly love.

Here you’ll find:

Thanks to my endless homelab tinkering (and admittedly chronic online habits), theKeep is always growing. It’s both a personal archive and a playground for anyone who enjoys diving into internet culture, media, and gaming.

What I do

These days I coordinate at Futuregames, one of Sweden’s top game dev schools. The Rookies keeps ranking us up there with the best in the world. I make sure students have mentoring, feedback, and odd pep talk they need to turn wild ideas into playable gold.

So far I’ve guided more than six game projects ranging from 3-7 weeks, where we mix and match students from all diciplines into indie studios. Here’s a short behind-the-scenes video I shot and edited about our Game Project 4.

Where I started

Games hooked me back in 1998 when Dad surprised the family with a PlayStation 1. The startup chime hit, and I was done for. Half-Life followed, then Source mods, and soon I was staying up late to break and rebuild anything that came with an editor. I’ve since hopped across engines like HPL, GZDoom, and the Creation Engine, always chasing that spark of “what if.”

In 2012 I joined the volunteer crew on Black Mesa before it became a commercial release. Every project since has been my excuse to open the hood, tweak the system, and make it sing.

My design playbook (for anyone looking to be a game designer)

  1. Let mechanics teach the player. Text blocks should never do what play can show.
  2. Every level needs a focal point. A goal, a landmark, something to anchor the player.
  3. Playtest everything. No amount of theory beats hands-on feedback.
  4. Don’t grind yourself into burnout. Stay excited to work, not obligated.
  5. Motivation is not a goal in the distance. It’s a force that pushes from behind. When you find it, surround yourself in it.

When I’m not poking at game code or guiding the future of game developers, I’m knee-deep in electronics and anything tech-related. Solder fumes, docker containers and RSS-feeds are my idea of a good time. My homelab is a playground where I try build little tools that make life smoother for my family and keep my curiosity well fed.

I recently canceled my NextDNS plan (saving $30 a year!) and repurposed my old Raspberry Pi 4B into a local DNS sinkhole running AdGuard Home through Docker. It pulls power via PoE, connects to SSD storage, and handles ad-blocking and traffic for my entire home network. It even became the host for this website.

Also, nachos. I’m deeply committed to nachos with chunky salsa. They deserve a mention.

If you’re curious about my portfolio, you can explore my work at olliware.dev.