New World Gaming: Does LEGO Universe Excite You?

Courtesy Negko Devinna, here's a fascinating sneak peek at LEGO Universe, the online world which will combine MMO roleplaying/questing elements with, well, fricking LEGO. From this depiction at least, it looks like a brilliant marriage of gaming and user-generated content; specifically, to build objects of your own, you first need to go on adventures to earn LEGO bricks:

Ironically, I think LEGO Universe will be recognized more immediately by a mass market as being a virtual world with user-generated content, before Second Life -- since after all, the word "LEGO" has been synonymous with user-generated content for decades. Do you think you'll jump in, when it launches this October?

Comments

[Hippyjim Starbrook]

My youngest is a beta tester for this, and it looks awesome. You need a reasonable spec machine for it, but it's totally worth it. Can't see it having the same economy or user base as SL, as it's far more "game" than "virtual world", but it still rocks.

Looking forward to our preordered copy arriving!

[Ignatius Onomatopoeia]

Hope y'all have fun. It is a cool concept but I never got into sticking Legos together. I'm still holding out for Hasbro's GI Joe Adventure Team Virtual World.

Seriously...digging up mummies, looking for the Yeti, and having Kung-Fu battles with GI Joe, not sticking Legos together, were the formative experiences of my young, twisted life.

"This calls for the Kung Fu Grip!"

[Little Lost Linden]

Leggo my Lego!

[cube inada]

ignatius
drop me a line inworld.. ill zap yopu my gi joe team leader and yellow AT copter.

i had actually built the V-team(at inspired) as a PR vehicle for one of the first 3d vr platforms... back in 97.

good tech, made mistake of beleiving in the dominant big player in 3dvr then.. SGI---

nothing changes.:

[nexus burbclave]

Between Second Life, Mod Nation Racers, this in October, Little Big Planet 2 in November, the really sophisticated map editor in Starcraft 2, and some promising up-and-coming virtual worlds, I think I'm going to need to figure out how to add an 8th day to the week. Its a bit overwhelming, but also really cool to see just how much UGC is coming into its own.

[Adeon Writer]

Where was this in my childhood?

[Troy McConaghy]

Here's a fun thing to try: watch the video as if it's a parody video made by The Onion.

[Simondo Nebestanka]

That is totally cool. Very smart, the way you progress from following set instructions to designing and building your own stuff, just the way most kids do with real Lego. Looks like they've designed that learning process very well.
Short story (which may only be interesting to those who were into Lego as children): A few months ago, a work colleague bought her 5yr old son a complex Lego helicopter, then spent a lot of time helping him put it together. She realised how difficult it would be for him to reassemble if he had too much fun playing with it, so she *super* *glued* *it* *together* *for* *him*. I wanted to cry as she was telling me (she had no idea of the weight of her actions), and I still get the shakes thinking about it.