I was pleasantly surprised by a video game today. I usually follow PC gaming so I know what’s coming out and all but the game that caught my attention tonight was a Playstation 3 title called Little Big Planet. The developers bring a novel idea that, to me, speaks to the perpetually greater amount of connectivity that technology is bringing to our world.

First of all, the game looks fun. It’s a side scrolling platform game. The catch is that it’s a pseudo-sandbox setup. You make your own levels and play other people’s levels. Essentially you can make whatever you want. Seriously, it’s extremely open ended to the point where one person has built a working calculator in the beta version of the game. The things you build can also be shared online with other players. You get ratings, friends, comments, etc. They seem to have tied social networking into their video game.

If this all works out, I think this will be a big step towards showing the real power of video games. There are so many positives here. They give people an outlet for creativity and creative thinking instead of being confined to a linear path. They give people the opportunity to spread that expression of themselves around the world instantly and even get noticed if they’re aspiring game producers. They give people a chance to learn through the game as essentially anything is possible (see calculator). I feel like I’m forgetting a bunch of things that I was thinking about earlier but you get the picture. Extrapolate.

Anyway, seeing is believing. Here it is: