If you're a big fan of user levels in LittleBigPlanet, the advice of the day seems to be this -- don't get too attached to them. Reports have been coming in of levels being "moderated" without warning. That's a polite way of saying they're getting deleted, and users are not being given the courtesy of an explanation.
The main issue seems to be over copyrighted material -- which kind of cuts the scope of what players can do in half, really. Levels based on Metal Gear Solid or Sonic the Hedgehog are being taken down, even if they merely contain a few items based upon the IP. Once a level is deleted, you can't even just take out the offending items and republish. The level's gone, and you have to start over from scratch. Great news for people who spent an hour or so crafting something.
The copyright issue is fair enough, but it seems that users were not told this before they wasted their time. One player claims that even his level based on the PlayStation 3 was deleted. If a PS3-exclusive game can't even allow assets from its own platform ... that's a bit demented. The moderation is also inconsistent, with other copyright-breaking levels remaining completely untouched. Moderators are apparently looking into providing more feedback when deleting people's work, but that hasn't helped the people who've been screwed over so far.
This is a pretty sad issue, and seemingly one in a long line of problems associated with LBP. While it's true that Media Molecule can't be blamed for oppressive copyright, it kind of shows just how much of a problem user generated content is going to have on consoles. Using completely copyright-free assets for LBP is actually a pretty decimating limitation when you think about how much you can't do. If this is the way things are to be for console games of this nature, it looks like the PC modding scene has nothing to worry about.
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Contest:
5:58 AM on 11.09.2008
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Does that mean that the Akira bike has gone too? ;_;
The truth of the matter is, that hosting levels that contain copyright material puts them in a precarious legal position, as i don't know if you could argue that all of these levels fall under fair use. However, a policy a little closer to youtube's model, which i believe only takes down videos that have been targeted by the IP owners or have been served DMCA take-down orders, might have been a little preferable.
Basically, don't make anything offensive or that contains any copyright material. What does that leave though? How many calculators are people going to make before moving on to something else.
No wonder MS didn't want mods in UT3! It would have been a waste of time.
Think aboout it.
..and as such, wouldn't a level based on the first SMB be fair game?
It does come down to a legal concern, but also one of maintaining the right rating (where 'adult' content is allowed to remain freely accessible, this can cause ratings issues).
From what's been said, the lack of feedback to accidental infringers is merely due to the overwhelming number of custom levels coming online in the release period, with one rep on the boardsus.playstation forum mentioning that levels are on a 24 hour backlog, and that efforts will be made to inform the infringer about exactly what it was they infringed upon.
This seems like a bit of a mountain out of a molehill.
Also, as an addendum to my last post, I didn't mean to accuse you of using hyperbole, Jim. Not you :P
I believe it's 70 years after the copyright owner's death.
How fantastic.
As someone said before, now it's understandable that MS didn't wants user-mods in UT3. But then again, Halo 3's Forge content doesn't get this much moderation, and if you applied the logic they're using to moderate LBP's content, then you could say that Bungie should delete all the remakes of all their old maps that people are creating using Forge.
It just doesn't make sense. You shouldn't just delete at will with no warning beforehand. That's just not polite.
Those <i>bastards</i>
Exactly. Which means that you can not incorporate any copyrighted material where the owner did not die before 1938.
I would say this is rather limiting, seeing that in this time film hardly had taken the step towards color, there is not much to rely on.
Then there is the chance that you might infringe on a copyright by accident, simply because your creation is too similar too someone else's even though you didn't know that it existed.
That's what happened to Nintendo when they where sued for their Donkey Kong character because Universal thought it was a ripoff if King Kong. The Courts finally decided in favour of Nintendo and declared King Kong open domain, which is the only other way copyrighted material can become open domain.
Then there is the chance that you might infringe on a copyright by accident, simply because your creation is too similar too someone else's even though you didn't know that it existed."
Exactly. The only way you can 100% guarantee that you won't get deleted is if you handcraft every single asset yourself, or use only the toys that Media Molecule provides.
And frankly, a whole lot of people will want to use their favorite films, shows and games. It is more limiting than I think some people are giving it credit for.
You had your penis copyrighted? :)
It's limiting if you wish to make an homage to something you enjoy, sure. But what percentage of your imagination is limited to ripping stuff straight out of copyrighted material?
Copyright only exists for the representation of an idea, not the idea itself. I'm still in favor of content which demonstrates originality, or at the very least, taking appropriated content and retextualising it in a way that says "inspiration" rather than "plagiarism". Not for any ethical reason, but because I find it more inspirational myself to see a well crafted original work, than a technically impressive copy.
MM are definitely being heavy handed about it, and I don't think it's necessary to this extent. But I have seen cases of Cease and Desist notices being issued to members of the homebrew modding community, and I'd guess MM are just drawing the line to avoid that possibility.
Paranoid? Yes. Draconian? Hardly.
We're not talking about MY imagination, though. Think of the average consumer, and what they will want to do. Let's face it, the vast majority of LBP users are not going to want to create their own 100% original stuff. They'll want Mario, they'll want Sonic, they'll want some level where you're bouncing on the cast of Frasier. They won't want that one.
This is limiting. It's not Draconian insofar as it not really being MM's fault. It is, however, very limiting and I think that a lot of users will be disappointed.
On the bright side, maybe we'll see less boring Super Mario Bros. 1-1 remakes and more creative original levels. Yes, it sucks, but it's just how the world works: you copy something without permission, you get sued. Besides, if the rumors of FFVII and MGS themed LBP levels are true, Sony doesn't want sales being diverted to free user made levels, do they? It's business.
What game have YOU been playing?
The servers were supposedly down at one point but it must have been for a very short period of time because I've been playing nearly every day and haven't hit one second of downtime. What else has gone wrong with the game?
Though I DO agree that a different approach needs to be made in this situation. Like someone said, allowing content that isn't asked to be taken down by an outside publisher (ie. the Youtube model) should work just fine. Also, there's got to be a way where the developers can just "kick" the level back onto the user's system so that it's not available online. Or at least 24 hour notice of the problem and a way to do so on your own.
I can't imagine how cheated you'd feel after putting so much work in and seeing it disappear completely.
As it stands, I would recommend everyone save TWO versions of everything they create to their system. One published, one not. That way, if the published one gets booted, you're not screwed.
I think delays, controversy over the Muslim thing, glitch complaints and server downtime make for a pretty notable list.
I'm not having a go at the game, either. I think it's a damn shame that the PS3's biggest title this year has become associated with some overshadowing issues.
Sony should not be taking down levels for which an official complaint is not filed..
Also recreating other video games isn't exactly creative freedom. Anybody who expected those to stay was way too optimistic.
By building off of a known quantity, the level manipulation process becomes much less daunting due to a design already being in place. Once the tools are mastered to a competent degree, then the imagination can start to flow.
Truth be told, you could learn the ropes offline to avoid the sackhammer. Just hope that your original creations are original enough.
While I agree with the way it is being handled is a dick move, without warning and etc., I'm not all surprised that when this stuff is distributed online it is getting pulled. Let the users keep it on their own systems if they insist, just not distribute it.
No. You're not having a go because you convinced yourself that the game's crap. It's not about "some overshadowing issues", it's about your "theory" that you let the creatives / pro game designers do the designing for you. You're not interested, no problem. It's your decision, but don't cheat on yourself.
On topic: just checked it 5 minutes ago, the game's fine -- the Mirror's Edge level, the Sweep Child of Mine one, they're there. Even the Shadow of the Colossus level. Slow day huh?
This is why copyright stuff is such a pain. Despite that though, Sony should have given creators fair warning before deleting their work. They'd have to find the said levels first before deleting, which should have all the users info attached, so they have no excuse for not sending out an email to everyone.
Giving all creators a month to adjust their levels would have been a good option to correct any problems. However, Sony, despite being japanese, they don't like us enough to do so. Fuck em.
Perhaps this will all be a true test of user created content on consoles, and another example of why PCs will always be the king of game creation.
Your armchair blogging is appreciated.
There is no means of charging for this content, nor does it affect the market of the influencing "intellectual property".
What's even more ridiculous is that Sony themselves was handing out contest prizes to levels based on games such as Shadows of the Colossus - yet now there are 11+ pages of complaints of people being unable to use Sonic or MGS inspired material.
If Media Molecule were to allow players to actually DOWNLOAD other people's levels to their hard drive and store them indefinitely, then people would still be able to share their levels with their friends without the fear of instant-deletion.
For a console that has so much more freedom than the 360 (non-proprietary hard drives or $100 network adapter, ability to install your own OS, more robust codec support, etc), these restrictions are absurd.