Enter Spore. Again, once word got out that players of the stand-alone Creature Creator demo were making alien beings with any number, shapes, and sizes of penises, the gaming journalists felt a collective sense of déja vu. However, there are notable differences between the two titles, and how their respective revelations were handled.

For one thing, Spore creator Will Wright seemed unfazed when faced with the overwhelming numbers of phalluses. The majority of the gaming press also expressed more bemusement than outrage. Perhaps the creation of sexual-themed creatures is a phase that players must pass through in order to come to terms with their inner desires. Regardless, once the initial furor died down, gamers as a whole moved on.

Additionally, all creatures created in Spore are potentially accessible through the Sporepedia, an aggregated collection of player-created Spore content. Not only are these objects browseable, there is a good chance that players will encounter them during gameplay as well, given the interconnected nature of the Spore universe. Unlike Second Life, therefore, where the underlying grid is segmented and self-contained, Spore players know from the outset that their work is constantly on-stage. The drive to express oneself creatively is a strong motivator, and Spore feeds this urge.

The differences between the tools available in Spore as compared with Second Life are fairly significant. Spore allows deformation of preset objects, but there is a limit to the range of functions within the toolset. The ease of use, however, overshadows any disappointment one might feel when involved in creation. Second Life's 3D tools are a completely different story. There are any number of resources available to the budding sculptor/builder in SL, and residents who aren't of the explorative learning mindset have frequently found difficulty in using the tools. What lies on the other side of acquiring proficiency, however, is a nearly infinite canvas of possibility, hindered only by the resident's imagination.

So, in Spore, user-generated content informs gameplay, and in Second Life, user-generated content drives the resident's experience. How is it used in LittleBigPlanet?

Thus far, noting that the game has not yet been released, the entirety of the user-generated content revolves around manipulating discrete building blocks to create playable game levels for all players to enjoy. There is currently no avatar customization, though decals pulled from the player's hard drive may be placed on level elements. While at first this may seem the most limiting of the three titles, the ability to create from scratch an interactive environment with a strategic goal at the heart of it promises to be an engrossing experience.

To sum up: User-created content is still in its early stages, regarding functionality. In Second Life, you inhabit it; in LittleBigPlanet, you play it; in Spore, you are it. Could this burgeoning genre ever grow sophisticated enough to encompass all aspects of its potential? Is it possible to imagine a game in which you create your own avatar, wander through a landscape created by other players, and collaborate on creating an interactive puzzle in real-time, all with easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tools? Would game companies be out of business? Is this the future of gaming?