Tag Archives: development

Developer of the Week: Media Molecule

Posted by Chad Knick on

Well, I haven’t done one of these in a long while – but I think it’s time for a long overdue Developer of the Week post. This time I’m focusing on a company that I truly admire for giving the control of a game to the user and letting users merely play with tools to design their own gaming experiences. Media Molecule is the UK based company famous for the lovely family-friendly PS3 exclusives LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet 2. I’ve been a huge fan and advocate of the LittleBigPlanet series for years now, but what I’m most fascinated with by the Media Molecule crew is the amazing opportunities for accessibility in player designed levels.

Umm... excuse me, but umm - might I get a nifty hat too?

LittleBigPlanet is a one of a kind ‘creator’ game, and players are truly taking advantage of these design tools to create unique and meaningful little gaming experiences [ some of which I’m so fascinated by I wish they were their own PSN games ] Now while LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet 2 as games themselves, can often lend themselves to a few accessibility issues in the Story mode, I think that can be overlooked by some of the more artistic and fantastic designs that the online community has been providing. Media Molecule is a fantastic company for giving power to the players instead of just having them play through something that’s already been designed.

Here’s a couple of community levels that I’ve played that I definitely suggest you check out, because they’re quite accessible and definitely a fun experience to try out:

1. Flowtation:

You play as a small jellyfish swimming through a vast ocean experience collecting colored water droplets to solve puzzles within the game. It’s a simple concept that’s extremely accessible. Created by a designer entitled: EaziG – the level provides simple gameplay, intricate puzzles, beautiful atmosphere and music, and when you see this little game it’s no wonder why I suggest that this game become it’s own little PSN title. The accessibility is phenomenal:

  • Relaxed gameplay and mechanics allows for players to take their time with each move. This helps mobility challenged gamers to actually succeed and enjoy this game – even single handed players will be able to enjoy this as long as you’re willing to be patient with the controls.
  • Color scheme is dark, but the main characters and puzzle pieces are illuminated in the darkened waters, which makes the game accessible for colorblind gamers and vision impaired gamers. 
  • Deaf players can easily play this game, while it’s disappointing that they can’t hear the warm, calming, melodic music, no sounds are required to play.
  • This game is actually very simple and relaxing – so cognitively challenged players may actually enjoy this title.

Gameplay of Flowtation:

2. A Daily Cup of Tea:

This is a very simple item drop game, where players have to catch small sugar cubes into their tea cups. Now the game designed by Nirokeib, and while the design has a very sepia tone color scheme – the games accessibility makes it noteworthy to, once again, be one of the suggestions of ‘must check out’ LBP2 games. Here’s how the accessibility breaks down – and what makes it a fun experience for me personally:

  • The controls only require you to hit the triangle button once to lock into your tea cup, and then it’s a matter of moving left to right on one single analog stick. This may seem like too easy of a game to care about, but it’s actually quite a fun experience with the frequency of sugar cubes being set at random. You may see an easy moment where there’s only a few and then you’ll get bombarded with quite a few.
  • Precision is required, because you have to catch the sugar cubes in the cup to make them dissipate. This can make the game a tad more difficult for mobility impaired gamers, but still totally accessible.
  • The music is good, but it’s not required to play and all instructions are displayed to you via text – which is fantastic for deaf gamers. Definitely makes the level more accessible for those with hearing impairments. 

Gameplay of A Daily Cup of Tea:

I’ve checked out quite a few more, but those two held the most love from me. I just want to give my love to Media Molecule, because they have a fantastic game that allows players to create accessible little mini games for fellow players. The Story modes and creation modes of LBP and LBP 2 may be a bit extensive to deal with for mobility challenged gamers [ Trust me, I’m perfectly capable of fast reflex movements, and many times LBP levels drove me nuts with how often I died. ]

Media Molecule gives players an ability to devise a game jam on a daily basis. They have millions of players devising millions of levels and with all of these vast creation tools and creators going forward there’s no wonder that these games are fantastic for the trend of accessibility being valued in games. Media Molecule, I just want to say folks, I love you guys. You have made a fantastic – trend-changing game, and I hope more and more community developers begin to devise games that are accessible to multiple players.

Well, this gives a new meaning to 'jaw dropping' performance...

LBP and LBP 2 have been two of my favorite games to play as an aspiring developer and I am fascinated by all of the lovely games I see coming out of the community and all of the advancements that you all have placed within the games’ look and feel. If anybody owns a PS3 [ especially if you’re a developer who owns one ] I highly suggest picking up these games. LBP and LBP 2 have deep creation tools that are easy to understand and access – and if you’re a more advanced designer you’ll be able to do even further fantastic levels with all of the advancements that LBP 2 has given.

Check out Media Molecule and the LBP series. Their gameplay and game design tools are making a difference, and that’s why I admire them and nominate them for my Developer of the Week this week. I hope that the future of this company keeps going forward, developing ways to provide more and more accessibility to the masses and the levels that they create and those that they allow players to create.

I can’t wait to see the future – and here’s to the waiting period for whenever they announce LittleBigPlanet 3.

Inspirational Gamer of the Week: Gareth Garratt

Posted by Chad Knick on

Hey there folks, sorry for the late post today. I usually like to get my posts done in the morning, but scheduling issues occurred today. Even so, I’m dedicated enough to this blog to make sure these types of stories go out. Especially ones that speak so near and dear to my heart like today’s story. Now this story was actually reported on a little over a year ago on Kotaku, but it’s still very relevant to the topics I try to present on gaming and so that’s why I’m covering it today.

Every once in a while you see a wonderful gesture done by a company that makes the enjoyment of one gamer worth all the hard work put  forth. In the case of UK gamer, Gareth Garret, Visceral Games went above and beyond the call after one letter was written to them. Gareth has a form of cerebral palsy that severely limits his motor skill movements. He has a passion for playing video games, but uses only his chin to navigate the mouse controls. This is an astonishing testament to Gareth’s resiliency to overcome the adversity of his condition, but it was a letter that he sent to Visceral Games that truly got my attention.

In the letter it simply stated:

“I just got Dead Space 2, and I’m so disappointed.”

He went on to talk about how the lack of customizable controls on the PC made it almost impossible to play most titles, and especially Dead Space 2, but how he would very much enjoy playing the game if he could. This caught the attention of other gamers and of Visceral Games and in response Visceral Games sent this note to Gareth:

“Dear Dead Space 2 PC Players, 

The Dead Space 2 team is aware of the issue that disabled gamers are having with Dead Space 2 PC. In fact, a number of folks on our team are so passionate about this  fix done that they are currently working hard to allow players to remap key-bindings in the mouse which should help disabled gamers enjoy the game.”

So why does this even matter, why is all of this relevant to what I’m talking about today? First, I would like for you to check out this video of Gareth. Here he is playing Fallout: New Vegas on his PC – just so you can get a better understanding of amazing this guy is in my eyes, and I hope in yours too:

Well, I’ve been discussing the necessity of accessible controls like crazy in some of my past posts. I’ve explained why accessible controls can ultimately increase revenue streams and why allowing them will ultimately lead to an overwhelmingly better gaming environment for all gamers – not just disabled gamers. There is currently petition going around [ and I’m not sure if I mentioned it in my earlier Button Remapping post ] but it was started by another inspiring gamer who I’ll discuss at a later date named Chuck Bittner.

The petition was set up to start getting mainstream companies to recognize the necessity for accessible controls, accessible options, and the like. I know it may seem far fetched to ask a large company to make a concession of giving accessible controls to all console and PC games, but hear me out on this.

An options menu is clearly just that – AN OPTION. It doesn’t impede an able-bodied gamer from using a control configuration that he/she approves of, it merely gives MORE options to those who don’t fit the standard ‘options’ that are usually set. I can’t imagine having to play like these gentlemen, and I am so blessed that I am capable of doing so much – but these guys inspire me.

They prove to me that even though a person has limitations that were either birth given or man-made it shouldn’t stop you from enjoying a past-time or a specific skill or hobby you enjoy. I’m a huge advocate for this movement and I encourage anyone who’s in agreement with me to go and join the petition:

Button Remapping Petition

Currently there are 83,848 signatures – but there are plenty more disabled gamers out there in this world. So, if you are a disabled gamer, if you know a family member or friend who is a disabled gamer and you want them to be able to have the same enjoyment and opportunities as the rest of the gaming universe then I encourage you to follow up and at least keep following this petition – because it’s something special and much needed in our industry. We need to start seeing gaming as a whole community – not just ‘hardcore’ and ‘casuals’ or ‘females’ and ‘males’ or ‘abled’ and ‘disabled’ – but rather just ‘gamers.’

Gamers one and gamers all. Let’s focus on accommodation and not discrimination.

So here is to you Gareth, for speaking out to a company and getting your voice heard. Here is to you for changing the course of the way a company thinks about it’s products and it’s accessibility, and here is to you for just being an amazing, fantastic person who – through all odds, finds a way to find joy through your gaming. You are truly an inspiration and I applaud you. The day I get an industry job, you can bet my first words out of my mouth are going to be:

“Yeah, but is it accessible though?”