Sony lays down some LittleBigPlanet laws

by Jem Alexander { Nov 13th 2008 at 8:00AM }

SCEE has released a statement via glorified press release site, ThreeSpeech, regarding LittleBigPlanet and its level moderation system. After opening with a massive "thank you!" to the community, who have so far racked up 84,000 uploaded levels and an enormous 27 million level play-throughs, SCEE outlines a couple of rules regarding uploaded content.

The statement reiterates that only 0.5% of levels have actually been moderated and while they are looking to improve moderation feedback in the future you can avoid the whole messy business by following these guidelines. Firstly, make sure your level is appropriate for all ages, as LBP is a family game at heart. Secondly, don't take liberties with other peoples' intellectual properties. That means "images, brands or logos" that you're not entitled to use. We're not sure whether that still counts for brands which already exist in the game (for example, if there's a Sephiroth costume available in game, surely his likeness is also usable in levels?), but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Tags: littlebigplanet, scee, statement

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

johnnybutt35 @ Nov 13th 2008 8:06AM

does this mean bruce campbell wont be in any little big planet levels? that guy is in everything.

Carlton @ Nov 13th 2008 8:25AM

Including your mother.

johnnybutt35 @ Nov 13th 2008 8:28AM

touche salesman

Sancho @ Nov 13th 2008 5:08PM

evil dead FTW!!!! they should make an ash costume

gravy @ Nov 13th 2008 9:36AM

How about they fix the retarded search function before embarking on this righteous crusade to fix the ills in littlebigplanet? Copyright law can't punish them for people making copies of mario levels, and yet I have to trawl through forums just to find decent levels so I don't have to play endless 'rokkit ramp ROFL!!!' and levels that took the creator ten minutes to throw together a couple of fire pits and call it 'sackboy adventure' or 'ninja training' and then spam the comments of every level with 'i harted u! hart me bak plz!' or 'kool, play my bioshock level'. I forgot what my point was...

eladiretips @ Nov 13th 2008 10:38AM

Your point was the search function is garbage... and you are right. First, cool levels doesn't bring you to newly published levels, and neither does recent... recent brings you to levels you just played. Why don't they make the fucking rating visible. Like going by hearts and plays is stupid. I want to know what a level has actually gotten rated as because people HAVE to do it. Why force people to do that if you're not going to publish the information!?

William @ Nov 13th 2008 11:04AM

Actually, according to the terms, they own all the levels, so copyright law -can- punish them for the content. It's a huge mistake on their part, but it's too late now.

elephant_stone @ Nov 13th 2008 8:30AM

Servers seem to be down for the game at the mo in UK!

p.s. I just won a promo copy of this game too! now I have two...just saying.

Think Adrian @ Nov 13th 2008 9:33AM

I'll give 10 EUR for your leftover EU copy :)

Will @ Nov 13th 2008 8:25AM

Does that mean that having Mega Man, God of War, and Super Mario Bros. levels can still be made so as long as they don't include imported images of said properties?

I would be fine with the moderation then...but if even those inspired levels are removed, if a LBP level mirroring the design of say, Emerald Hills of Sonic fame was removed, there'd be something wrong about the whole idea of user creation.

Daniel @ Nov 13th 2008 10:10AM

You should be fine as long as you don't blatantly name your level after the property. People need to get clever.

ProtoJimmy @ Nov 13th 2008 10:44AM

It would seem they are fine, I had a version of Emerald Hill Zone posted for about a week before the moderation began and it wasn't touched.

Zim @ Nov 13th 2008 8:41AM

What a way to impeed creative content, if it where a pc game then we could probably have a dancing penis level.
I think Sony should at least ad some sort or parental patches so kids under 18 cant see the really cool stuff.

Kspraydad @ Nov 13th 2008 9:26AM

Have to disagree with you there...this is a family game and I'd like to not have to be in the room every time my kid wants to play.

Zim @ Nov 13th 2008 10:05AM

Isnt that what the parental control is for, I am sure kids ok levels could be given a parenal control level of 11, where the cool stuff like dancing penus or find the cure for aids leves could be given a rating of 11.

I dont think its going to cause too much trouble to mod as people are going to make these kind of levels anyway.

Here is a link to sonys own explanation of the control system :

http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/security.html#1106

flynn110 @ Nov 13th 2008 10:35AM

@kspraydad,

while this may seem like a family game, and in many aspects it is, once you take any game online it no longer is a family game. you are allowing your child to interact with many other people. these other people's actions may or may not be in line with what you consider appropriate.

if you don't want your kid seeing this material don't let them play online.

I am very against this form of censorship as it tends to detract from the quality of the game.

Kspraydad @ Nov 13th 2008 10:58AM

This game is sold as a family game. I understand that ratings don't apply to online gaming BUT it is marketed as a family game INCLUDING the online aspects.

People throw the word censorship around lightly...there is a TOS and the TOS dictates your behaviour...To me, LBP removing levels and 'adult' content for not adhering to the TOS is NOT censorship, it is fulfilling their mandate as laid out in the TOS.

Haohmaru @ Nov 13th 2008 7:34PM

...What is about things like "a dancing penis" to use your example, Zim, that instantly make so-called adult themes "cool?" Perhaps your prepubescent mind isn't able to grasp the fact that most ACTUAL ADULTS don't enjoy that particular brand of kiddie-humor, and more than likely, those levels were created by a pre-teen. :P

As for the "censorship" argument - stuff it and read the Terms of Service again. If you so badly want to fap to cardboard dicks, you can easily do that offline.

Haohmaru @ Nov 13th 2008 9:01AM

Truly original levels are much more interesting anyway. I tend to exit the "lolz, I took pictures of other games with my PSEye" levels as soon as I see that that's what they are.

Kspraydad @ Nov 13th 2008 9:25AM

Since MS have the 'right' to use their logos and images, for example, does that mean MS could flood LBP with Xbox themed levels and advertise from within??

Gonzo @ Nov 13th 2008 10:00AM

I'm still uploading my No More Sackboys level: A straight plain level with just a lever at the end you have to drag a coconut onto, then a lame formulaic boss that will only seem interesting because the rest of the level was a chore.
I'll warn you now, it should be very tedious and vapid like No More Heroes but at least this will be free.

baby sea tuna @ Nov 13th 2008 10:43AM

LOL. I'm glad there's someone else on the Internet that doesn't want to marry that EXTREMELY overrated yawner of a game.

ry @ Nov 13th 2008 10:10AM

Main game was awesome. Don't have the time to play through 30 user-made levels to find one good one. Swappin' it for Dead Space. Very sad about it as I figured it'd be the greatest game of all time and a big reason I bought a PS3 in the first place. Oh well, at least there's Valkyria Chronicles and Disgaea!

Steve @ Nov 13th 2008 10:12AM

Creative Freedom does not mean 40 recreations of SMB 1-1, I hope anyway. Original ideas, homages, things I haven't seen a million times. But that's hard and I can't think of anything! Then keep your level to yourself until you do.

Sancho @ Nov 13th 2008 5:18PM

my level isnt the greatest but purely original. check it out and heart if you like... PSN ID= Sancho45

Miguel @ Nov 13th 2008 10:16AM

These rules are lame. First of all, doesnt copyright law allow for certain usage, of copyrights, such as parody?

Also, I don't have the game yet, planning on getting it eventually, but if you make an "inappropriate level" couldn't you just keep it on your own local PS3 and not have to worry about it getting deleted?

Kspraydad @ Nov 13th 2008 10:59AM

You are subject to SONY's TOS...so any 'noise' about feedom and laws is irrelevant.

FeaturePreacher @ Nov 13th 2008 10:23AM

Sony should have realized the first things that people would make would be copies of stuff they've played before. This is not going to end with just one statement.

As far as content being family oriented, I'm willing to bet most of the time the family isn't playing the game. Moreover, it's quite likely you have young people creating levels that are supposedly beyond their age group while the parents let a video game distract their child to get some relief. Just do what some anime creators did in Japan when they were restricted from showing male genitalia, use tentacled encepholopods like an octopus.

Steve @ Nov 13th 2008 10:25AM

"Also, I don't have the game yet, planning on getting it eventually, but if you make an "inappropriate level" couldn't you just keep it on your own local PS3 and not have to worry about it getting deleted?"

Yes, you can make any level you want and play it locally.

rgoff31 @ Nov 13th 2008 10:42AM

Seems simple enough to me. I really don't see why people can't use their own imagination instead of someone else's.

baby sea tuna @ Nov 13th 2008 11:10AM

But it's not that simple. This is supposed to be a fun, funny game, and parody/critique is an essential part of comedy. This is especially true considering that LBP is a net-nerd's critical darling of a game, and if there's anything that net-nerds love, it's references. Banning said references severely hampers the places some of these levels could go.

I liken this to License to Ill, by the Beastie Boys. With today's copyright laws, that album would NEVER have seen the light of day and music, nay...society as a whole, would be worse off for it.

Fane @ Nov 13th 2008 6:39PM

@ baby sea tuna

I think you meant to say "better off".

Just saying.

Zim @ Nov 13th 2008 10:52AM

As for copyright stuff, well its not about what you can or cant put in to a game becaseu of copyright, its actualy about sony not being payed to have coke a cola cans in game.

Remember home is out soon with in game advertising that companies have to pay for.

Brakius @ Nov 13th 2008 11:40AM

I've played some great user created levels that were creative and original. Some easy, some hard, but they are far better than a copycat version of a game I played to many years ago. If I want to play those levels again, I'll play the original game.

As far as this being a family game, yes it is. MM and Sony have said this over and over, which is why there is feedback for inappropriate levels. I have a child that plays the game, however we play together. It's one of the great things about the game. With or without my child playing the game with me, the last thing I really care to see are lame levels created just to put some dancing penis in it or have pics of your junk posted all throughout the level. To me it's nothing more than moderation, hardly censorship.

If you really think it's censorship, I'd like you to visit or do research countries that do thrive on cesorship and tell me your thoughts afterward.

Play. Create. Share. Just use your imagination, do something original and leave your dancing penis on YOUR PS3.

JAH75157 @ Nov 13th 2008 11:50AM

i'm still making scrotum hills. FU SONY!!!

rgoff31 @ Nov 13th 2008 12:05PM

I notices last night that level with the pedobear stickers still in the top Cool Levels. WTF? I think it was done by the Azure Palace guy.

xander @ Nov 13th 2008 1:19PM

Nice!

mercurywa @ Nov 13th 2008 1:27PM

I came across my first "Inappropriate level" last night. The theme/message was "Girls lie so always use a condom". You start next to a large woman who says "I am a social life killer", then proceed to cross a pool of moving babies (made of doll parts) to reach the goal.

True or not, I think it was too mature of a message to have out there.

SnazzyD @ Nov 13th 2008 1:54PM

And you didn't report it? I'll do so tonight if you don't.

Getting really sick and tired of all the moaners complaining that their "tribute" levels get pulled off the online servers. They're mostly crappy, and I vastly prefer some of the original ideas I see more and more of each day. This level you're referring to has no place in a game like this, so just like youtube it's gonna get reported.

And once that starts happening, people will wise up and stop wasting their time (and ours!). You can still create all the inane, sophmoric levels your teenage heart desires, but leave them on your moon and nobody will care.

I personally find the search works quite well, but it does rely on the appropriate tagging of each level. I wonder if those complaining even understand how it works, and how simple yet brilliant it actually is.

And you can see the play/heart count on every level before you play. The tags tell you what kind of level it is, and if you have post-Grade 5 math skills, you can figure out whether it is worth playing. Duh!

"E is for Everyone" means you aren't more important than the rest of the community. The whiners are those who fail to appreciate this one simple point (let alone the rather clear EULA they agreed to...)

mercurywa @ Nov 13th 2008 2:25PM

No, I did report it as best as I could, I couldn't fit everything into the one photo so I actually wound up reporting it twice.

JAH75157 @ Nov 13th 2008 2:59PM

thank god no kids will see a safe sex message that would be horrible.

mercurywa @ Nov 13th 2008 3:23PM

It appeared to be less about "safe sex" and more about an "axe to grind".

It wasn't very kid friendly, unless you find a huge pile of babies in a burning pit appropriate for younger players.

iamkid @ Nov 13th 2008 3:45PM

i still want to get to making my chocolate rain level

Lard @ Nov 13th 2008 4:04PM

LBP - Create, Share, Get Censored.

Lard @ Nov 13th 2008 4:05PM

You don't have the moral authority to make decisions for other people. Who the hell do you think you are?

mercurywa @ Nov 13th 2008 4:28PM

So... don't report EULA/TOS violations?

And I'm not "making the decisions", whoever gets the report does that.

flynn110 @ Nov 13th 2008 6:28PM

when levels start getting removed for being inappropriate the real issue becomes where is the line drawn and who is the one drawing it. i understand that each person has individual thoughts on what is and is not offensive, and each person has a right to those thoughts.

is sackboy falling into a pit of spikes inappropriate because it may promote images of death to children? What about blowing up a car while someone is in it chasing you? Are scenes of death and violence wholly inappropriate? What about sexual innuendos?

all media contains images of sex and violence. just look to the television at any time of the day. however, people who are offended by certain content have learned to steer clear of that content (tv, radio whatever)

i understand this game has a rating of E, but it also has an online element. isn't there usually a disclaimer when playing online games that states something to the effect of 'esrb info may change during online play'? does lbp have this?