The Cars' 1978 debut album, "The Cars"

As the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises compete for the hearts and minds of ersatz rockers around the world, both sides are doing their best to lock up exclusives. For instance, there's the recently released Aerosmith team-up with Guitar Hero, an an arrangement whose exclusivity was first reported on Level Up by Newsweek writer Ashley Harris. Rock Band has made similar arrangements with bands like The Who. We asked Harris to look into whether The Cars, whose eponymous debut record was the second full-length album released on the Rock Band Music Store, had entered into a comparable agreement with Harmonix and MTV Games for Rock Band. Harris contacted Rhino Records, a division of Warner Music Group, for comment. Here's what spokesperson Jason Elzy had to say:

To read the rest of this post, click on the link below. 

1. EGO...trip: In which we rail against the STFU mentality, and are praised for it
2. POR...tals will trump mirrors, edges and Mirror's Edges every single time
3. POR...trait of an American (Console Owner's) Family: thoughts on design
4. RND...You know that book publishers are running out of ideas when...

Over the past couple of weeks, several publishers have released their quarterly earnings reports: among them, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and THQ. Apart from a title slipping its ship date from one quarter to the next, there were few surprises to be found...except for the fact that of the three publishers listed above, two of them declared that the lion's share of their console revenues had been derived from the third-place platform: Playstation 3. Electronic Arts gave its breakdown as 17 percent PS3, 10 percent Xbox 360 and 7 percent Wii. For Ubisoft, it was 21 percent PS3, 9 percent Xbox 360 and 11 percent Wii. (THQ was the exception, with 4.8 percent PS3, 14.6 percent Xbox 360 and 17 percent Wii.) How could this be, given the installed base lead that the first-place Wii and second-place 360 currently possess over the PS3?

For an answer, we turned to Wedbush Morgan analyst and The Who's number one fan Michael Pachter. Here's what he had to say in our email exchange:

To read Pachter's explanation, click on the link below.

1. EGO...trip: You're far too kind, Brainy Gamer, but our ego is still grateful
   
2. EGO...trip: the hardcore gamer's Lex Luthor, Sean Malstrom, gives us a nod
   
3. HMM...how begging by the homeless is similar to marketing casual games
4. BLO...wback: Outspoken designer Jonathan Blow on the limits of narrative
5. RND...The Return of the Trolls: the subjects of the NYT's story respond

1. WAS...Denis Dyack right? January ruling may have implications for game forums
2. WHO...are you going to believe: Metacritic, or your own lying eyes?
3. CAP...com May Cry: rep says PC version of Devil May Cry 4 flopped, pirated 
4. OFF...message: Playstation Europe boss suggests Bittorrent to impatient gamers
5. HAS...neon ever looked so explosively beautiful as it does right here?
6. RND...Cee-Lo and Thom Yorke enter the steel cage. Who will emerge victorious?

The respected Game Critics Association--of which the Level Up staff is a part--has just announced its nominations for the best games for the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit which recently took place in Los Angeles. Last year's front-runner was Rock Band (from the three-headed hydra of Harmonix Music Systems, MTV Games and Electronic Arts) with a five nominations. This year? It's Media Molecule and Sony Computer Entertainment's roll-your-own Playstation 3 platformer, with a similar industry-leading total of five nominations. Our obsession with the game has been well-documented here on Level Up; after today's announcement, it would appear that our fellow scribes share our enthusiasm.

Just behind LittleBigPlanet with four nominations each were Gears of War 2 and Left 4 Dead, both console-exclusive to Xbox 360. They were in turn followed by four games that each received three nominations: Fallout 3, Mirror's Edge, Resistance 2 and Spore. The winners will be announced next week; you can see the entire list after the jump. While the Level Up staff has yet to convene to determine which games will make its final ballot--theough we will confess to having a soft spot for Best Original Game nominee Flower--we encourage you to drop us a note in the comments section and let us know which games you think we should vote for, and why.

To see the entire list of nominees, click on the link below.

1. HOL...low Through Him: 50 Cent, Jason Bourne, Riddick no match for Bobby Digital
2. WHE...re is RenderWare when you need it? PS3 version of C&C put on hold 
3. HOW...free food, open bars and attractive publicists are destroying videogames
   
4. RND...The first rule about fight scenes is that they have evolved over time
   

 Media Molecule's Alex Evans demonstrating LittleBigPlanet during E3 2008 

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote a piece for the "Global Literacy 2008" special edition of Newsweek magazine. In it, we argued that the Internet is the new sweatshop, by looking at properties ranging from YouTube to Spore that are being built on top of use-generated content. Since we could only use brief snippets of these email interviews in the print edition of Newsweek, we thought you might appreciate reading the game-related Q&As in their entirety. We previously heard from Spore Creator Will Wright and Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter; we conclude our series with Media Molecule technical director Alex Evans, whose upcoming game LittleBigPlanet is expected to ship in October.

What convinced you that it might be possible to create a successful console game primarily around user-generated content?

Games that involve/include some form of creativity have a rich heritage, and there are some great examples if you look back over the history of video games. Going back to the 8-bit home computer era, Shoot-em up Construction Kit was a great piece of software, and in the 16-bit era we had a whole genre of ‘God Games’ that used creative tools as a key game mechanic (Populous, Sim City, Theme Park etc)--the main thing that was lacking from these titles at the time was an easy way to share your creations with other people--which is where we have really gone to town in LittleBigPlanet.

The best thing about it is that you don’t have to create a single pixel to enjoy the experience--in the same way that you can enjoy websites like YouTube as a consumer of content, as well as a creator--just load it up, explore, and maybe, just maybe, get inspired to add your own creation into the mix. The cycle of people creating, and others playing, was something we were sure could translate into a console experience.

Based on your research and experiences, what are some of the factors that motivate people to create content and share it freely with others?

As mentioned before--YouTube is the perfect example--there are a lot of people out there, and a lot of creativity, add to this the fact that many people like to show off, others just like to have an audience or find likeminded people in the world and then provide a super easy way to share things, you’ve got a pretty hot mixture brewing. Another factor of course, for some people, is money--shared free content has been commonly used in many walks of life as a way to hook people in, get them addicted, and then start charging. When people ask us to define UGC (user-generated content), or what the audience for LBP might be, I always answer that anyone who has ever drawn on their school bag, or worn a pin on their lapel, or written a blog entry--all of these people are ‘creating’ in some sense, even if their motivations may be slightly different. LBP gives a unique chance to add interactivity to those ways that people can be creative, but taps into the same basic desire to express something.

Electronic Arts announced that within just a few days, 500,000 creatures have already been created using the Spore Creature Creator? Does this surprise you? Have you shifted your estimates on initial LittleBigPlanet based on this response?

To read the rest of our Q&A with Alex Evans, click on the link below. 

 Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, posing in front of an Elvis impersonator

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote a piece for the "Global Literacy 2008" special edition of Newsweek magazine. In it, we argued that the Internet is the new sweatshop, by looking at properties ranging from YouTube to Spore that are being built on top of use-generated content. Since we could only use brief snippets of these email interviews in the print edition of Newsweek, we thought you might appreciate reading the game-related Q&As in their entirety. We heard first from Spore creator Will Wright; next up is Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.

Electronic Arts announced that within just a few days, 500,000 creatures have already been created using the Spore Creature Creator. Then they said that they've hit a million Does this surprise you?

I'm not surprised at the number, it suggests around 100,000 users doing 10 apiece, which sounds about right. I heard from EA that [its CEO John] Riccitiello did 10, and he's clearly the target demographic ;-) Now, if we can find out how many Sam Houser created, that would be a story.

How do you factor user-generated content into your forecasts for games such as Spore, LittleBigPlanet, or even last year's Halo 3, with its built in photo mode and video uploader? What impact does this activity, nearly four months out from the launch, have on your forecasts for Spore. Have you shifted your initial estimates on LittleBigPlanet based on the response to Spore?

I think UGC (user-generated content) in this context is more like viral marketing, unlike UGC in World of Warcraft or even Halo, which comes after the fact. I expect around 3 million units of Spore to ship, so 100,000 users the first week of Creature Creator isn't really all that meaningful or unexpected. I saw ads on gaming websites, but this game has greater mass appeal (like the Sims), and mass market advertising will be more impactful than viral marketing.

Executives at Electronic Arts have suggested that they may exploit this user-generated content in a variety of ways, from toys to card-based games. Should users be somehow compensated if their "work" is used in this manner? Do publishers have any legal exposure if they don't compensate their users?

To read the rest of our Q&A with Michael Pachter, click on the link below.

 Spore, developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote a piece for the "Global Literacy 2008" special edition of Newsweek magazine. In it, we argued that the Internet is the new sweatshop, by looking at properties ranging from YouTube to Spore that are being built on top of use-generated content. Since we could only use brief snippets of these email interviews in the print edition of Newsweek, we thought you might appreciate reading the game-related Q&As in their entirety. First up is Will Wright, discussing his forthcoming game Spore.

Why was user-generated content so important for Spore?

We’ve seen over and over again that when players are creating the content for the games they play the empathy and emotional connection with the game is much higher. Film does this by getting using actors to emotionally connect us to the experience, games have other avenues available. You never really hear game players telling each other about the cool cut-scene they saw in the games they are playing but they’re always talking about the cool unique things they discovered to do on their own. By focusing on giving the players narrative freedom the game becomes more immersive and they show a much higher degree of ownership and authorship over the experience.

For Spore we wanted to give the players high diversity as well as a huge universe to explore. The only way we could possibly achieve this was to in essence "outsource" the majority of our content production to the players.

Based on your experiences with The Sims, what are some of the factors that motivate people to create content and share it freely with others?

Creating the content is just the first step in getting players to own the narrative of the experience. The really important stories in games aren’t the ones that are crafted by the game designers but by rather the unique experiences that players create as they play. When players create content or narrative, the entire activity switches over at some point from simple entertainment into a more complex form of self-expression.

We gave the Sims players the ability to make and share stories and movies from within the game. At first these stories were predictable super-hero fantasies and such, but over time they evolved into deeply introspective and meaningful dramas. One very memorable one for me was a woman using the Sims to describe how her sister was trapped in an abusive relationship but eventually managed to get out of it. It was clear that she was using the game as not only a form of psychological processing but also as tool to try and help others in similar situations.

How long did it take Spore to hit the 500,000 creatures created milestone? How much faster was this than you anticipated?

To read the rest of our Q&A with Will Wright, click on the link below. 

1. EGO...trip: In which we enter the 37th chamber, courtesy of The HipHopGamer
   
2. SAD...DC Universe MMO looks good, but Marvel fans at Level Up HQ still mourn
   
3. RED...shirts tremble in fear as Cryptic Studios officially announces Star Trek Online
   
4. THE...re's a thin line between love (praise for Comic-Con) and hate (disdain for E3)
5. RND...Vs. Mode goes to the movies in this battle of ideas over Quentin Tarantino
   

1. EGO...trip: vindication, or a stopped clock being right twice daily?
2. WHY...so serious? Or, after laughter comes tears
3. REW..."Things break, y'know": Xbox 360 or NCAA Football 09?
4. RND...Which of these radically different posters do you prefer?

1. OMD...Paramount plans to turn "Pretty In Pink" into a game. Will Ducky win?
2. GOV...Paterson of NY signs oddly toothless bill into law; others debunk
3. THE...horror, the horror: scary movie helmers turn to comedy for Xbox Live
4. ITS...all about the Benjamins: XBLCG to help creators get C.R.E.A.M....
5. BUT...Playstation Europe backs away from talk of doing the same with LBP
   
6. HMM...In hindsight, perhaps "Phat Princess" might have been a better title
7. DES...ign cheese? NCAA Football 09's speed ratings tested, found wanting
8. ALL...your base 10 are belong to Sony, or, Xbox what? Gamecube who?
   
9. RND...Is there anything that can't be improved with a dash of M.O.P.?
   
10. RND...Outlaw graffitti Banksy unmasked by British newspaper. Kilroy am cry.
    

1. EGO...trip: Producer says black staffers are working on Resident Evil 5...
2. EGO...trip: ...while commenter outrage continues over our raising the issue of race
3. BIZ...EA still wants to settle down with Take-Two; T2 would rather play the field
4. ALL...I wanna do is (bang bang bang bang) and (ka-ching) and take your money
5. RND...While Girl Talk "threatens" fan videomakers, go ahead and enjoy
   

1. EGO...trip: Kotaku, MTV tossed aside for Wedbush; Level Up survives the culling
   
2. EGO...trip: We bat cleanup on an epic 1UP Yours podcast; others weigh in
3. SAD...but true: in which industry observers come not to praise E3, but to bury it
4. FAR...Cry 2 narrative designer Patrick Redding on his game's ambitions
5. RND...Slate considers cross-genre music covers. Could LBP bring this to games?