User created content is really taking off with this generation of consoles. Little Big Planet and Spore are two high profile recent releases, and both showcase content creation tools as the main selling point of the game. Similar tools are available in Guitar Hero World Tour, though as a nifty bonus rather than the primary emphasis. Thousands of hours have been spent by eager gamers as they create that perfect platforming level, alien race, or rock song. You don't have to look very hard to find some extremely creative content that came from the mind of an average gamer.
I myself have had quite a good time with these games. I spent quite a bit of time playing around with all the different tools in Spore. To me, this was easily the best part of the game. As far as LBP goes, I had an idea to make a little level up with some flash card problems on it, for my first grader to use. I worked on it for hours, literally. When I was done, he blew through it in less than a minute. My limited experience with these tools really makes me appreciate the effort and dedication some of these user content maestros show.
Now, imagine that you have put many, many hours into a level for LittleBigPlanet. You've tweaked it like crazy, getting all the little details just as you want them. You can't wait to show it off to your friends in co-op, and others seem to be enjoying your creation, earning it lots of hearts. One morning, you wake up and discover that your level is gone. Vanished. It simply doesn't exist anymore. Here's just one example, which we covered previously. Bad as this is, even worse is the fact that once one of your levels has been pulled, you lose the ability to upload any new creations. "Play. Create. Share." becomes "Play." While LBP has a surprisingly deep and enjoyable story mode, it's the creation aspects that most players looked forward to. Losing the ability to share your creations robs the player of the most fulfilling aspects of the game.
Sony and MediaMolecule are hardly alone on this. Activision has been pulling user created content too. Upon Guitar Hero World Tour's launch, almost immediately, folks started creating and sharing their music. If you had browsed the most popular songs on GHTunes that first week, you would have seen some familiar faces. Songs based on the tunes from the Zelda and Mario series, for example, even a Halo inspired track. These were not to last long, and were pulled from GHTunes soon after, as we told you here.
However, the developments regarding user created content get even worse. Activision, you'll recall, made public its stance on user created content from GH WT. They consider it a subscription opportunity.
Check out this report from GamePolitics.com. The article is about the big change to the PSN terms of use shortly before LBP's launch. This quote in particular is worrisome:
"You also authorise us [Sony] and our affiliated companies, without payment to you, to license, sell and otherwise commercially exploit your User Material."
Not only are these companies pulling the content that players have created, they want to actually make money off of that content!
I spoke to Dennis McCauley from GamePolitics.com about some of these issues. Here are his thoughts.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, referring to user generated content in Guitar Hero World Tour, had this to say: "The ability to offer these songs on a subscription basis may very well result in the newest subscription opportunity in our portfolio." Activision making money off of fan created music seems ridiculous. What are your thoughts on this?
It doesn’t seem unfair, it *is* unfair. But it’s typical of the corporate game publisher mindset: let’s squeeze every last nickel out of the game consumer.
Many of the user created levels in LittleBigPlanet have been based on other games, movies, etc. It's no surprise that Sony has started pulling these levels. It seems like this will be like playing Whac-A-Mole, with new levels similar to the ones being pulled going up all the time. Will Sony be able to sustain this level of moderation?
They can sustain it as long as they are willing to throw resources at it. It’s hard, though, to give people creative tools and then tell them not to incorporate important cultural influences like music, games and films.
Do you see publishers shying away from user generated content because of legal issues?
They won’t shy away completely because consumers want it, but they will try to manage it, probably badly.
Thanks for the interview Dennis, and everyone check out GamePolitics.com!
Clearly, user generated content is a bit like Pandora's box. Once you open it up, you'll never get it totally under control again. To conclude this article, here are a few points to consider.
First of all, I absolutely agree that publishers should have some control over user created content. Like Penny Arcade joked about in a comic, people are guaranteed to make things that are offensive. How many giant penis monsters were made in Spore, for example? Obviously, that kind of stuff should get yanked. If there's anything inappropriate found in user content, pull it. Better yet, rely on other users to report such content, similar to the method used by Youtube. I'm not saying that users should have carte blanche to do whatever they like.
Second, why not be more reactive than proactive in the enforcement of "copyrighted materials"? Let's say I spend a month working on a Kenny G tribute level in LittleBigPlanet. I include clever samples of the music, pictures of him, etc. Under the current policy, that level will get pulled, no questions asked. Why not wait until Kenny G asks for it to be taken down? Let's leave it to the artists, movie-makers, songwriters, and so forth to decide whether they find the material objectionable or not. If it were me, I'd consider it a compliment if someone took the time and energy with my media as their inspiration. Certainly, if the copyright holder objects, the publishers would be obligated to pull such content. But perhaps they won't, and in that case, the players get a cool experience, the publishers get content to extend the lifespan of their game, and the copyright holder gets some free publicity.
Speaking of that, the final point I want to make is this: free advertising. Let's say Billy loads up LBP and plays a level based on the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Billy plays the level, enjoys it, and begins reminiscing about Sonic. Billy then looks around to see if there are any more Sonic games these days, and who knows? Maybe Billy will even buy a new Sonic game, earning Sonic's shareholders another sale. They say there's no such thing as bad publicity, and in this case, that is certainly true. Even better, it comes with no effort at all by the copyright holders.
I think we can all agree that user generated content is the future of gaming, just as it has been enormous in many others aspects of media as of late. Consider this quote from Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America President..
"The era of passive entertainment is waning, active entertainment is where the action is. Entertainment consumers are moving from react to interact. Now, fortunately, from the start this shift has worked to the advantage of everyone at videogames. It is who we are... Videogames have always been at the front lines of active entertainment and its revolution."
Videogames may indeed be the frontlines of the revolution in entertainment, but so far, most publishers have taken some serious missteps. Hopefully, they will learn to embrace the change, as the music industry seems to finally be doing in regards to digital distribution. Publishers would do well to remember that it's the game buyers who keep them in business. Happy customers will keep buying your products. Unhappy customers will not. Let's hope that as user created content grows in future games, it's handled in a way that is good for both the gamer and the publisher.