User-Made Euphoria
OPINION
Gamers are no longer content with what the designers offer; they desire more... a new trend in the gaming world is to offer "level creators" in games, as seen in titles like Half-Life 2 and Halo 3. Power to the players!
One of the first DS/modern games to expand on user-designed levels was Advance Wars: Dual Strike. Featuring a relatively deep level maker powered by the intuitive touch screen/stylus combo, it was the natural first step for user-designed content in games. Granted, you could only do so much with it; users wanted more.
How about Half-Life 2, then? I'm not too educated in the subject, but I've heard Gary's Mod can make for some incredible gaming experiences; Metroid mods, tennis matches, importing images and self-made code... the possibilities are practically endless. Halo 3's Forge Mode can do even more -- fact is, though, the "user-made euphoria" is just beginning.
The PC scene is already overflowing with overzealous indie developers, and Microsoft's Xbox 360 is catching on. Sony's still trying to get there, as is Nintendo. The undeniable truth -- user-designed levels/games will be integral parts of the gaming experience in the next few years. Nintendo's upcoming Advance Wars: Days of Ruin features an even more robust level editor than its predescessor, and it also features the ability to send levels to friends via Wi-Fi.
The next stop in user-made content? Services like Xbox Live Arcade and WiiWare. Live Arcade already features some games from indie developers, such as Eets: Chowdown and Boom Boom Rocket. WiiWare hasn't launched yet, but with an imminent "Spring 2008" launch worldwide, everything's only starting for Nintendo (Sony's staying awfully quiet for now)... what's obvious is that all three companies (...except Sony) are trying to satisfy gamers by making them pseudo-game developers. And what could be better than that?!
What does the future hold? If you ask me, casuals aren't versed well enough in gaming mechanics, so, consequently, the main users of (in-depth) level designers will be hardcore gamers... and perhaps people like artists, programmers, interior decorators, etc.
I predict that, come 2009, the indie/homebrew scene will see tremendous growth, thanks to games that support custom mods, level creators, etc. By then, such features will be common in games like FPS, racing, MMORPG, etc... afterwards, player-created content will move to unprecedented territory; imagine creating your own 2D sidescroller... or how about your own simulation game?
Users who know nil about programming languages won't be left out of the dust, and technophiles will feel right at home with custom code implementation and expanded features. Truly a "user-made euphoria", don't you think?