Mark Healey, Alex Evans, David Smith, and Kareem Ettouney are the key developers of Media Molecule. Shigeru Miyamotos of the UK, the group has been selected by Sony to develop a title that will put the online features of Playstation 3’s Home function to the test. Their title LittleBigPlanet is setting out to prove that the next generation of videogames isn’t necessarily about greater empowerment on the side of the developers. Rather, the title is all about putting tools in the hands of the player, allowing one to download anything from the internet and embed that content directly in the game world.

Gameplay in LittleBigPlanet involves joining up with friends through the Playstation online network and creating obstacle courses filled with user-derived content. “There are places to explore, creative resources to collect and puzzles to solve,” says the media press release, “all requiring a combination of brains and collaborative teamwork. As soon as players begin their creative skills will grow and they will soon be ready to start creating and modifying their surroundings - the first step to sharing them with the whole community.”

The game’s key features, according to the developers, are its open-ended nature. Players can craft their own near-photorealistic environments towering massively above the heads of the diminutive Sack-boys, the game’s customizable avatars. The single-player mode offers individuals a panoply of ready-made courses, offering power-ups and ideas on how to craft one’s own customized arena. Most intriguing of all, by interacting online with other LBP enthusiasts, the game offers the potential for creating online communities based upon a shared interest in crafting fun and sophisticated virtual spaces. Sounds like good times.

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