While we all love games, the process of making them--or even a level--can still be kind of mystifying. Square Enix hopes to change that (and make some money) with its new free-to-play 3D game creating and sharing suite Gameglobe, which entered open beta today.
The browser-based platform uses LittleBigPlanet's familiar metaphor of a character gadding about the world (as opposed to a scary, multi-window level editor) to make the creative process more digestible for people used to seeing only the end product. Square Enix's project favors 3D action-adventure over LBP's sidescrolling, with levels built out through Populous-style terrain editing tools and pre-made objects filling the world.
Users unlock these objects and customization for their avatars with coins, which can either be purchased directly or earned through actions in-game and in the community. They can also access, rate, and comment on other people's creations through a YouTube-style browser.
Being a beta, it's still got a lot of content to pack in (if you want to make a game that doesn't have pirate, colonial, or jungle themes, or an avatar that doesn't look like a spunky little white cartoon person, you're out of luck) but it's already an interesting idea. And being free, we don't have much to lose.
