LittleBigPlanet may be the most high-profile and anticipated game launch ever to hinge so much on user-generated content. With that in mind, storage space is sort of a big issue — if the game depends on contributions from users, how much self-made stuff will people be able to upload? According to Gameplayer, each user will have a limited allotment of server space for their LBP creations. But there's kind of a neat catch that helps demonstrate that Media Molecule is taking their role as user-generated-content-messiah seriously:Writes Gameplayer:
If their scheme works, users who upload the most popular levels will be rewarded with more space. It's common sense, really - when lurking on YouTube, do you look for the videos with five stars, or with one? On the other hand, if you wanted to play Devil's Advocate, you could accuse Sony of some subtle social engineering here. After all, server space is so cheap these days that it's effectively free. Just think of GMail, and Flikr, and all those sites that let you upload files that are hundreds of megabytes in size - for free. So it's not an issue of cost - it's an issue of quality. Sony wants to create a sense of value for those who've bought their game. By rewarding the best LittleBigPlanet players with more online space - and by restricting those who, well, suck - they can make this dream a reality. Or at least, that's the plan.
A system that depends on community content, one could argue, ends up subject to quality issues; Microsoft has attracted criticism to that effect regarding its community games (and responded to it). But a system that holistically encourages and rewards quality creations has a good shot, right? Server space in LittleBigPlanet to be limited [Gameplayer]