LittleBigPlanet

Imagine that I built a virtual poker table for you. I made the tools (the cards and the money system), but you set the rules. Typically, you bet some money, play, then if you win, you get all the money on the table.

You could change this: say, you only win the money after three wins? The strategy now changes: if you lost the first game, you wouldn't want to bet so much now, would you? Or maybe you would, coz there are two more games to go?

Let's be more radical: maybe you define a Royal Flush as having the Ace + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 instead? Oh what the heck, you gave me a pack of cards and some money mechanics, let's play Chou Dai Di instead! Or let's stack up the cards together and build a bridge!

In the end, the gameplay on every poker table requires different strategy or even has different mechanics altogether. I've made the game driven by emergent behaviour. With new technology and the superior lord (the Internet), emergent behaviour is now very possible in digital games.

And so, the experts of emergent behaviour are at it again. Their portfolio includes Black & White and Dungeon Keeper. Yup, total experts. Now they're in a new studio called Media Molecule, creating monsters deep inside a basement of a creepy mansion.

Have a look at the demonstration of their latest game, LittleBigPlanet:



I dunno about you, but I'm totally impressed! Here's why:

• J-J-Ju-Just look at the graphics!!! Art direction-wise, technical-wise, whatever!
  
• That's seriously just a gist of what you can apply in your world
• The physics engine is superb!
• A live editor that enables you to test what you applied immediately
• The interface is funky and easy-to-use

What's more, you can share the level with your friends or the community, and have them explore your world cooperatively! Yes, you heard me, four people can explore your world together!!!

With the flexible customization and the super cool physics engine, you can decide whether you want to make a beautiful world for exploration purposes, or make a super challenging platform game. It's up to you! This is truly the pinnacle of user created content.

Here's a sample level that you could create:



It's time to get a PS3, lalala...