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. 

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