ModNation Racers – Why Copyright Holders Should Be a Little Scared

Sony sees a future when players will be getting just the tools from developers and publishers, maybe with a few bits and pieces that show off exactly what could be created, with the burden of actual creativity coming down squarely on the shoulders of those who love playing videogames. After all, if they want to game, then they should also love making it. This is the main idea behind the new “Play, Create, Share” concept and ModNation Racers might be a better embodiment of it than last year's Little Big Planet (a title set to get a sequel).

There is a huge amount of mostly cosmetic options linked to both the way the driver and the kart look. There are options to change the textures of the materials they are built from, GPS devices you can add to the board of the car and a huge amount of patters for the skin of the player avatar.

There are versions of the vehicle ranging from totally comical to prototype speed racers, each with a clear identity and with the developers at United Front Games clearly thinking of the demographics that each component and accessory will be interested in. If there's a complaint, which can be leveled at the two editors is that they are clearly designed to be all things to all people, making the deluge of options seem a bit devoid of personality.

The problem with us gamers and potential content creators is that we like to make and remake stuff we already love. Sure, some of us will turn to our inner world to draw inspiration and put together something truly innovative and original.

But most of us will make Superman, Nathan Drake and Gordon Freeman as avatars while making them race in the Batmobile, the most recent Porsche supercar or a replica of a Battlestar Galactica fighter. One important move related to the success of ModNation Racers will be whether Sony cracks down on copyright infringements or allows at least some of them to live on and get used by gamers.