Little Big Planet 2 The Perfect Example Of The Video Game Industry Utilising Social Media

In a recent article, I discussed the merits of the video game industry looking towards a more encompassing role for social media within their marketing strategies. Although a multi-billion pound industry, it is surprising how little attention is paid towards social media and a strong social media strategy.

However, one of Sony Playstation?s more recent videogame releases appears to be attempting to buck the trend, and has looked to social integration to help expand its fan base. Little Big Planet 2, a puzzle-platform game on the Playstation 3, follows the adventures of protagonist ?Sack boy? through a number of different worlds and levels.

Playstation has clearly made an effort to promote this game through social channels. Alongside a dedicated Facebook application; a mini game where the user takes control of protagonist Sack Boy, Playstation has also advertised the dedicated Facebook page on television adverts, thereby pushing a larger group of people to the Facebook channel. Once there, followers will find daily updates and user-generated content.

Further to this, the game has been largely built around user-generated content. Although there is a basic single-player story-mode, the main attraction of Little Big Planet 2 lies in the user?s ability to generate content. Users are able to make their own levels which can then be shared through the dedicated Little Big Planet community, LBP.me. Through the community, users can either download levels straight to their consoles, or create a dedicated QR code for each level, which can be read through the Playstation Eye camera, thereby downloading the level. This dedicated community offers users a place to converse with each other, which can increase the shelf life of a game, encouraging users to return to the community and therefore the game.

These examples prove that Little Big Planet 2 is leading the way in advertising video games through social media channels. The dedication to user-generated content helps further game play longevity, giving users a reason to continue playing the game even after they?ve completed the main storyline. With over three million user-generated levels having already been created, future developers are likely to try to follow Little Big Planet 2?s strategy when it comes to marketing their product.