User Created Content is Key for New Games

An anonymous reader writes to tell us that recently Valve Software's Doug Lombardi has stated his strong belief that user created content is a very important part of games in the near future. "'I would argue that it's the biggest component those guys have to get over if they want online to matter.' 'Half-Life 1 was okay as a multiplayer game and Team Fortress Classic was really good, but Counter-Strike kicked both their asses no question. And that came from a kid going to college in Canada and another kid going to high school in New Jersey, who had our code and thought it would be cool to play our game.'"

Duh

[pboyd2004]

And it's not the near future it's already happened. Look at Quake. I played that game for years because of some user created content called Team Fortress.

I am glad that companies are starting to think about this stuff though. It would be nice if more games had good mod kits when they are released.

Slow News Day Indeed

[Adambomb]

Between moddable multiplayer games, MMO's with player created structures, areas, and interactables (vendors and such), and any game with comprehensive map editors being around for ages, is this even a question?

I'm pretty sure we've all known that without a massive potential for replayability in the original title, the only thing that keeps a game alive long term is the user created interactions and content (barring companies that keep ongoing updates and patch, like Cavedog did with TA back in the day [although that also had user created content]).

Just now?

[Enoxice]

Are they just realizing this now? Hell, I remember modding Wolfenstein3D when I was younger. I made a Castlevania mod, if you were wondering (and I know you were).

Point being, user-generated content has always been a big part of all the best PC games; FPS's, Strategy games, you name it. When users can mod the game, they become attached to it and it develops a much more cohesive and less fickle user-base and expands the longevity of the product.

Going Out On a Limb Here...

[susano_otter]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that engaging, high-quality content is key for new video games.

If that content comes from users, great. If it comes from paid professionals, great.

Starcraft

[Annymouse Cowherd]

This is why Starcraft is so awesome. The last time I played an official Blizzard map while not on a mod was ages ago.

Re:Just...

[4D6963]

Don't make a map of your school. Apparently that makes you a threat.

Or let's all make maps of schools, until officials realize they have better shit to do with taxpayers money than arrest map makers.

Console games. Console!

[AlpineR]

The submitter left out a very important word in his summary. This article is about console games. The first sentence in the article is:

Valve Software's Doug Lombardi stresses the importance of user-created content in home videogame consoles.

He's saying that consoles are way behind general purpose computers in online play. One of the big advantages that computers have always had is customizability and user-generated maps and mods. The online experience of consoles will remain a poor shadow of the computer game ecosystem until they enable and allow the players to share in the extension of their games.

This is a big reason why I haven't bought a full-size console since the Atari 2600. Two years after I got the Atari I also got a Texas Instruments 99/4A. I loved the ability to do wild things like save games, download levels from online bulletin boards, and even program simple games myself. Nowadays I enjoy playing Use Map Settings games in Starcraft and have created several maps of my own. That game is ten years old but still megafun due to the user-generated maps.

AlpineR

Re:Speaking of CS

[Chyeld]

You do realize that Valve hired both the team that created CS and DOD, and the reason why they sell the both mods now is because they paid hard cash for the mods, right?

If you want to be pissed at Valve about something, please at least pick a topic where Valve isn't one of the leaders of the pack on. I don't know of any other game companies that you can speak of that have sheparded their mod community as much as Valve has.

SWG

[toolie]

One of the reasons SWG was so freakin barren in regards to anything to do is because the expectation was for users to create their own content. Raph Koster wanted to make a sandbox and then have the players create the cities and PVP fight for the rest of the content. I hope to God nobody ever expects that level of user created content to carry a game again.

Designing maps for a FPS, that is good.
Designing mods to extend a game, that is good.
Not providing anything to do except have 'users create their own content' is bad.

Re:I said the same thing 10 years ago

[Control Group]

You and I clearly have different definitions of "easy."

Creating boards for Lode Runner was easy. Creating boards for Arkanoid II: Revenge of Doh was easy. Creating and texturing BSP trees for Doom was...something other than easy.

Re:Little Big Planet

[Rycross]

No, I'm not joking. I haven't heard any developers talk about how stunned they were about the graphics, and I haven't seen anything that I would classify as "awesome", including the lighting model. I had heard a lot about the gameplay, and I have to wonder why you're focusing on the graphics when its obvious that the gameplay is whats going to bring people to the table.

I didn't think developers would so easily and this early tap into the incredible parallel number crunching power of the PS3.

Ah, Sony shill. Right. Glad to see you're back after the Wii pounding.

Re:Just now?

[hangareighteen]

Seriously, doesn't anyone remember Quake and QuakeC? CTF (original and thunderwalker), the real Team Fortress, tons of other crap. Anyone playing FPS games 11 years ago knew all of this already.

Game companies need to share the wealth

[CodeBuster]

If companies want to have more user generated content for their games, particularly when they themselves release "for sale" expansion modules ala the Neverwinter Nights series, then they must allow the copyrights to remain with the creators AND they have to give the creators a piece of the action when their content is featured in the "for sale" download area. The problem with Neverwinter Nights and other games is that they state in the license agreement that any content that you produce for their game becomes their property when you distribute it and they can re-distribute it as much as they want and even charge for it without giving you any royalties. If the companies want good user generated content then they must allow users to earn money off of their content and maintain rights to the content that they (the users) create.

Re:Console games. Console!

[theantipop]

I salute Valve for talking about this and hope they follow through with it. It's a shame companies like Microsoft insist that "content have value" and heavily pressure production studios to charge for content that has been classically free for PC games. Why should four multiplayer maps cost ten dollars [blognewschannel.com] when companies like Epic have given away expansion-sized updates for their Unreal Tournament games? I can't understand how value-added content is such a bad thing when you're already shelling out $60 for a game.