PS3 LittleBigPlanet levels being deleted without mercy

LittleBigPlanet is an absolute gem of a game, providing entertainment for both hardcore and casual gamers who own a PS3. But the main draw of the game, the ability to create, share, and download user-generated levels is being ruined by some over-the-top moderation by Media Molecule.

I loved the idea of LittleBigPlanet as soon as I first heard about it. Here is a game which is simple enough for a young kid to play but at its core is customizable to the nth degree. While the disc-sold game provides a good few hours of gameplay, it’s the ability to head online and play new user-generated levels that will see this game last beyond the first month of ownership.

Media Molecule, the game’s developers, originally stated that anything goes, that any level could be created and that the user’s imagination was the only glass ceiling to what was achievable. And during the beta, this seemed to prove true, and many of the best levels made it online in video form for us all to coo over.

Unfortunately, at least according to Destructoid, it seems the goalposts have shifted somewhat, with user-generated levels being deleted without warning and seemingly without mercy. The problem lies with people creating levels which contain copyrighted materials, although I suspect levels with sexual references are also being culled.

Part of me understands the need to remove levels with copyrighted material in, as using Sonic The Hedgehog or Metal Gear Solid themes could get Sony and Media Molecule in trouble with Sega and Konami respectively. But, that’s only if one of those companies complained, and that doesn’t seem to have happened yet.

YouTube is a good example of this method of copyright control, with every video making it on to the site after being uploaded and only being pulled if a media company asks for it to be removed. Even then, the uploader of the video is notified of the action and given a right to reply or to contest the decision.

Once a level has been deleted by a moderator from the LittleBigPlanet servers, it seems that’s it, with the user who created it not being informed or even given the chance to modify their creation in order to make it comply with the restrictions. Which just isn’t on, especially when some levels can take hours, if not days, to create.

There also seems to be a great deal of inconsistency, with some levels containing copyrighted material being deleted immediately while others are being left alone. Unless Media Molecule sorts this out I can see it spoiling the fun of many people and preventing people creating levels in the numbers needed to keep the LBP community fresh.

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