Moderation Gone Mad: LBP and Guitar Hero See User Content Disappear
With all this fuss about user created content, you knew it wouldn't be a smooth ride, and it appears that this week "Gaming 2.0" may have hit a few speed bumps.
First, users are reporting that songs based on Nintendo properties are disappearing from the Guitar Hero: World Tour, specifically songs based on the Mario and Legend of Zelda themes, which had risen to the top of the charts. There's still a lot of video game music to be found on the service, as well as other copyright infringing, non-videogame music, but the disappearance of the Mario and Zelda tunes means that Activision is watching, and if you recreate your favorite tune in the game, don't be surprised if it vanishes.
There's no word on whether posting such material will negatively affect users, although it's not a stretch to think that repeated attempts at posting banned content could result in some sort of ban. Also, if you've already downloaded the material, you shouldn't worry - there's currently no way for them to go in and remove the file from your machine.
Next, LittleBigPlanet users have started complaining about their custom levels disappearing. While some of the levels may be obviously offensive or infringing, others are a little less clear cut. Considering the game actually sells costumes featuring characters from other games, they might have expected homages to other games would be rather popular. Levels based on other media, such as Batman and Scrubs (Scrubs? Really?) have also been removed. You may want to rename that Final Fantasy-based level you've been working on "Schminal Schmantasy," just in case.
The lack of communication from Media Molecule has been infuriating for players. Community development manager "Sam_Protagonist" had promised during the beta test that eventually they would be able to identify problems and notify users, so that they can make changes as needed. It appears this has not come to fruition, as most users claim they have not received word from the company about their levels at all. He also reported that "if the offense was particularly strong, further action may be taken against the content creator." Scary! For now, guidelines about content remain vague, as one person's "comic mischief" or "mild cartoon violence" is another's heart stopping terror. Hopefully Media Molecule will be able to remedy this in the future. Defending intellectual property is a necessary part of the process, but censoring content without the ability to point out violations seems like a slippery slope.
'Mario,' 'Zelda' Tunes Deleted From 'Guitar Hero' Music-Sharing Service [MTV Multiplayer]
LBP Levels Getting 'Moderated' Out of Existence [Kotaku]
Dawdle
Posted to Video Games on 9 November 2008
· Comments (14)
Other stuff like this: activision blizzard, guitar hero: world tour, littlebigplanet, media molecule, moderation, neversoft, sony
Thank heaven that they never did that with the Sims games. And I hope they never will.
They even deleted a level with a PS3 in it because Sony was worried they would SUE THEMSELVES.
Either they're being dicks (Spore and the Sims and Team Fortress 2 never pulled this shit) or they're planning on making people pay for user-generated content - which is being even bigger dicks.
I was seriously considering buying a PS3 to play Little Big Planet. Not anymore, I'll stick with my PC and Wii. Thanks for saving me half a thousand bucks, Sony.
This isn't wierd at all. Everything you upload on Media Molecule's/Sony's servers so they are more or less required to remove anything that they can get in trouble over. Also: playing an original creations is much more fun than another Metal Gear inspired one...
And Zeta your "the Sims and Team Fortress 2 never pulled this shit" comment does not apply to this game. Modifications to PC games doesn't have anything to do with the original developers. In LBP everything you upload is on the developers' servers and they decide who can stay and who can go if you don't play by the rules.
Spore - everything you upload is on Maxis's servers. Go and download a Star Wars pack. All of this is covered by Fair Use laws.
And nothing is original. Any "original" creation you'll play will be influenced by other stuff.
"Also: playing an original creations is much more fun than another Metal Gear inspired one... "
Also, explain how putting a picture of a PS3 in a level makes it unoriginal. Or how Sony would be legally required to take it down.
Or how a level got banned for having the title "Failure to Launch", because it shared the name with a shitty comedy movie nobody cares about or remembers.
@zeta: Yes its fair use... in the US. BUT what constitutes "fair use" has always been up for debate. Most lawsuits about copyright infringement will at some point try the "fair use" arguement and attempt to define it in a way that suits their case.
I think the main point is that MM doesn't want to be taken to court AT ALL.
This is especially true when the copyrighted material being used belongs to nintendo, or microsoft. If I were either of those companies I would probably jump at the chance to bring down the competition a notch or two over copyright infringement. MM & Sony can't take that risk.
I think its time to stop blaming MM, and start blaming the users who at the most are BREAKING THE LAW and at the very least are breaking the terms of the EULA to which they agreed.
Also, seeing as MM are a British company they may be subject to UK law rather than US law. UK law has NO clearly defined "fair use" law, which leaves them open to an even greater risk.
You still haven't addressed why a company would prevent themselves from using their own copyrighted material. It's OK to put Solid Snake in a game, but not have any references to MGS in the levels? That's contradictory! You can't put images of PS3s in a PS3 game? That's contradictory! Sony is taking a risk by allowing people to put images of their console in their own video game?
This is beyond justification. This is being pansy-assed.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go visit my Futurama planet in Spore. Curiously, Maxis has not been sued out of existence.
Did the guy ask permission to use sony's copyrighted material in his level? No... I don't think so.
Thats the point. It doesn't matter who owns the copyright, its just the fact that it IS copyrighted and therefore isn't allowed. Perhaps the guys level was advertisement that sony did not want nor need.
I agree that MM should be more forthcoming with the reasoning behind their actions, and offer users the chance to correct the problems. But I don't believe they should stop removing copyrighted material from THEIR servers, just because people can't follow the LAW.
Whenever you give people ability to create content, they're going to want to produce parodies, homages, and references to things they love. You remove the ability to do that, and you're going to lose a huge portion of your audience. You're limiting creativity. And you're creating an aura of paranoia amongst your users. "Oh no, this title was spoken once in a movie made in 1934! I can't use it!" "Sorry! You can't use the title Adventure for your level, it was the name of a video game!" "Sorry, you can't use Little Big Planet images in your level! That's advertisement we don't want." You stifle it, and your userbase is just going to go somewhere else.
Just because it's LEGALLY right doesn't make it MORALLY right. Especially since Maxis and other companies have shown it's rather easy to fight against it.
Other examples:
You can customize your own characters and fight online in Soul Calibur IV. You don't get banned for having a character that looks like Link.
You can play Co-Op in Fable II. You don't get banned for naming your character Aragorn.
Maxis: Hosts user-generated content that "GASP!" can reproduce the Family Guy Cast on the Sims 2! Also, SPORE.
City of Heroes: Hey! That character looks similar to Superman! You can't play as him!
Legally, all of these companies could prevent this from happening. But why should they? They can argue against it, it takes valuable resources and time, and it drives away users.
I am incredibly weary of anyone supporting corporate 'intellectual property' rights over the freedom of people to express themselves.
If people cannot make homages to the things they like, if they cannot do parody and satire, if they cannot joke about certain things, or use common phrases or names, or represent their own fan-art version of things, then there simply is no freedom of speech or expression.
If we cannot express ourselves about the things in our world - and we live in a media saturated world - then we have been gagged and bound. We will have lost all right to comment or say anything.
If you give a child some crayons and some paper, do they not begin drawing what they have seen, and what they like?
Any game that permits user creativity will have people making homages to things they like, or parodies of things they do not like, and this is a deep part of the very point of allowing user creativity at all.
When the draconian 'protection' of the 'intellectual property' of souless mega-corporations supercedes the right of people to express themselves, especially in a format that is identical to working with cardboard and crayons (as is the case with LittleBigPlanet), then such action becomes fundamentally immoral, fundamentally wrong.
To support the corporate view here, in any regard, is to argue that your own humanity is worthless, and that you have no mind, nor soul, of your own.
To argue for the corporate position is to essentially establish yourself as a slave, a sheep to the slaughter, a nothing who has no value for freedom for themselves, or for the freedoms of others.
If a person can't make silly parodies or homages of their favorite things, then there is just no point anymore. This is dead wrong, and anyone who would argue otherwise is, quite frankly, the lowest sort of tool. As in tool of corporate power over human freedom.
I am incredibly weary of anyone supporting corporate 'intellectual property' rights over the freedom of people to express themselves.
If people cannot make homages to the things they like, if they cannot do parody and satire, if they cannot joke about certain things, or use common phrases or names, or represent their own fan-art version of things, then there simply is no freedom of speech or expression.
If we cannot express ourselves about the things in our world - and we live in a media saturated world - then we have been gagged and bound. We will have lost all right to comment or say anything.
If you give a child some crayons and some paper, do they not begin drawing what they have seen, and what they like?
Any game that permits user creativity will have people making homages to things they like, or parodies of things they do not like, and this is a deep part of the very point of allowing user creativity at all.
When the draconian 'protection' of the 'intellectual property' of souless mega-corporations supercedes the right of people to express themselves, especially in a format that is identical to working with cardboard and crayons (as is the case with LittleBigPlanet), then such action becomes fundamentally immoral, fundamentally wrong.
To support the corporate view here, in any regard, is to argue that your own humanity is worthless, and that you have no mind, nor soul, of your own.
To argue for the corporate position is to essentially establish yourself as a slave, a sheep to the slaughter, a nothing who has no value for freedom for themselves, or for the freedoms of others.
If a person can't make silly parodies or homages of their favorite things, then there is just no point anymore. This is dead wrong, and anyone who would argue otherwise is, quite frankly, the lowest sort of tool. As in tool of corporate power over human freedom.
I prefer to call myself an artist, who respects the intellectual property rights of others, both individual and corporate, just as I expect my own to be respected rather than exploited.
.... as opposed to calling myself a souless corporate slave.
I know that if recreations of my music were to appear in LBP levels I would be severely pissed. Just because its "corporate" intellectual property I don't see why that should change. That would be one rule for the individual, and a seperate rule for companies, and THAT would be morally wrong.
How dare your fans want to share their love of your music with others in another medium! SUE THEIR ASSES!