Case Study: Little Big Planet
The Little Big Planet franchise is one of Media Molecule’s most famous game series. The games are focused around a 3D platformer style game, that allows it’s players and communities to create their own levels and experiences. In the games in the franchise are: Little Big Planet, Little Big Planet 2, Little Big Planet 3 (though this was developed by Sumo Digital) as well as versions for PSP, PSVita and a Karting and handheld console version called Run Sackboy! Run! Console wise Media Molecule have only developed these games for Sony Playstation.
Little Big Planet is a platformer game centred around finding the planet’s ‘Creator Curator’. There are abilities in which you can customise your character called Sackboy by changing his costumes, accessories or colours. The platform elements also include a lot of physics based items, such as balloons, skateboards, rope swings, bungie cords, gliders and mine karts provide a different experience to the traditional platforming experience. Alongside the story game, there is a creative mode. In this, players can create their own levels and share them via the PlayStation Network. They can also just play in other player’s levels, not having to contribute to the community but can if they desire.
Media Molecule has ‘spearheaded a movement’ (Wiltshire,, 2017) that has become standard in a lot of Triple A games, the creation and imagination that allows anyone to become a game designer. Since the creation of Little Big Planet, other games have included creation tools in games that aren’t necessarily games you would think would have them. For example, until Fallout 4 the Fallout franchise did not have any element of creation in its RPG style game, who then introduced their settlement building tools, whilst Trials Fusion added their own level design tools.
It has received of 69 awards since its release, notably including: Innovation in Gaming (2008), Best Game (2008), a BAFTA for Artistic Achievement (2008) and Best PlayStation 3. Slashdot claimed that ‘This is the reason to buy PlayStation 3’. It has been widely loved and appreciated as one of the best games of its time.
Little Big Planet has also recently been used in an educational scenario. It was used on a class of Year 3 students to experiment with physics. They used a car and ramp to learn about friction, and compared materials on the ramp such as rubber and polystyrene so see how the material affected the friction. Using games for an educational purpose has allowed the children to understand more about the real world around them, and engage them in science studies, in a way they couldn’t have been engaged without the medium of games. The environment Media Molecule created with Little Big Planet has begun to expand the boundaries of being a game and has become an educational tool. Media Molecule has facilitated an environment for their players to grow in, and encourage this in the community.
Information Gathered From:
Wiltshire, A. (2017). Extended Play: How LittleBigPlanet made everyone a game-maker. [online] PlayStation.Blog.Europe. Available at: https://blog.eu.playstation.com/2017/03/03/extended-play-how-littlebigplanet-made-everyone-a-game-maker/ [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].
Lawrence, J. (2017). Fun and Games in the Classroom!. [online] Media Molecule. Available at: https://www.mediamolecule.com/blog/article/fun_and_games_in_the_classroom [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].
Lawrence, J. (2017). The Story of LittleBigPlanet on the PlayStation Blog!. [online] Media Molecule. Available at: https://www.mediamolecule.com/blog/article/the_story_of_littlebigplanet_on_the_playstation_blog [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].
Little Big Planet. (2017). LittleBigPlanet | LittleBigPlanet. [online] Available at: http://littlebigplanet.playstation.com/littlebigplanet [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].
Andrews, S. (2011). LittleBigPlanet Review | Trusted Reviews. [online] Trusted Reviews. Available at: http://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/littlebigplanet [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].
Cover Image from DualShockers
