14 DAY TRIAL // Adding to the already extensive hype surrounding LittleBigPlanet, the upcoming game from Media Molecule for the PlayStation 3, David Reeves, the president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, has stated that he sees a possibility for user-generated content for the game to be monetized. Jokingly, he even said that we just might see, at some point, "the first LittleBigPlanet millionaire!"
The game in itself is built around giving players the tools and gameplay mechanism required to create their own levels and adventures. Media Molecule wants people to experience the adventures that come pre-packaged in the game, and to use them as a basis to learn what the game is about and how it can work. Then, the idea is that players will get together with friends, sharing information and assets, to create additional levels to be made public later, so that anyone else can play them, or they can be shared privately with just trusted friends.
Sony believes that giving the players a financial incentive is one of the factors that can increase the quality and the quantity of levels created by people playing LittleBigPlanet. The Sony boss has also remarked that there's a chance to "sell things and make money is really very attractive," being of the opinion that, as soon as the game launches, Sony will begin to unveil prizes for level design and other contests that will go a long way towards creating a stable player community built around the game.
Reeeves said that "for example, what we're trying to do with LittleBigPlanet is almost iTunes meets eBay in the sense that once an individual or a developer has qualified by producing certain levels or certain add-ons, they will then be able in the future to exchange these and make money out of them". It's not yet clear whether the player will be able to set some levels to be available free of charge, as well as the price for the others, or whether Sony is going to be buying levels from fans to distribute them.