Little Big Planet: Good or Evil?

Do you know Little Big Planet? This PS3 game came into my son's life a few months ago and while his friends long ago abandoned it, he remains caught up in developing his own levels. I think of LBP as a game platform and not just a game. The software platform has a rudimentary builder's kit that lets "players" create their own games or "levels". Each level--at least for my kiddo--features a Sock Puppet or more properly, a "Sack Person"--trying to make his way through a sort of obstacle course to win points and prizes and of course, to escape "death". The obstacles can be sharks, dragons, clacking teeth. It's pretty amazing and very creative. He thinks about his designs a lot. Probably during English class and math. You can "publish" your levels and tell your friends and get them to play your creation and to comment and rate it. These are mostly good things. I've helped him design levels and we've had fun doing it.

On the flip side, he is inside a lot creating levels. There is something about this creative process that makes his crossed wires (learning disabilities) fade into the background. That's good but also bad because he needs to learn to compensate in more structured ways for his schoolwork. Capitalizing certain letters, getting 'b's' and 'd's' straight or at least learning to go back and check them and the many other things that he just doesn't get--have to be inscribed on his brain.

The writing level for those who create levels on LBP is pretty low. The written descriptions of the levels--written by their creators--are filled with typos, missing words, etc. etc. I bet I'm the only one who has ever noticed. Maybe there is an army of little boys with LD out there creating LBP challenges. It wouldn't surprise me I guess.

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