50th Spotlight Bonus Feature #1: The Legend of the Spotlight
Prepare yourself for a riveting story of death and life, despair and hope. This is the totally, entirely, absolutely true story of how the Spotlight began. Sit back, turn down the lights, and listen to my words... the words of legend... presenting:
The Legend of the Spotlight by Ryhas
There was once a void in the gaming world. Games were losing all color, all life. Things became horrible. Bleak. Many of the older gamers despaired of the days when times were simpler and more cheerful, the days when there were smiley Mario clouds and quests to save various princesses. Yet little hope remained for the gamers.
And then... then came Media Molecule. They decreed, “There shall be Charm! There shall be Joy! There shall be Creativity!” From their forges came forth a game, a wonderfully delightful creation, a masterpiece of fun and happiness: Little Big Planet. There was finally a community, a living, breathing place where gamers could create and play their own games! Creators rejoiced, for they had an outlet. Players rejoiced, for they had millions of free levels at their fingertips. All was well.
For a time.
You see, the great overlord S’Ony had also made a decree: “There shall be Trophies!” These trophies pushed gamers to their limits, giving out pixelly rewards for pixelly accomplishments. Many gamers achieved their trophies according to the law that states, “You shall not be dumb.”
Other gamers, sadly, did not surrender to this law. Their greed and ambition took over, and they summoned an ancient abomination known as Sp’ám to obtain the trophies for themselves. Worse, Sp’ám had taken a new form. Bomb survival levels. Shark survival levels. Horrible visuals. Dastardly gameplay.
Sp’ám joined with his minion, known only by the nickname H4H. Sp’ám and H4H wreaked havoc on the community, creating useless levels merely so they could achieve the trophies from S’Ony’s decree. The Little Big Planet community became clogged with bombs and sharks.
Of course, not all creators were equal in their craft. While many created works of art, others—to put it mildly—did not. In addition to the carnage from Sp’ám, there were creators who simply had no idea what they were doing. They ended up creating many hundreds of thousands of low quality levels.
And the community began to lose its vivacity.
Slowly.
Sadly.
True gamers fell into a deep depression. They lost the will to eat, lost the will to sleep. Many died. Worse, many stopped creating.
Some of the pain and death was alleviated by the creation of websites, guilds, forums, where creators could go and discuss their crafts. One of the greatest of these was the Guild of Little Big Planet Central. To counter H4H, they brought forth his twin brother, the hero known as F4F. F4F was both a pirate and a ninja, and saved many with his quick-witted constructive criticism. Some color had been breathed into the community.
Yet Sp’ám and H4H stormed on. One by one, the free lands of the LBP Community fell to their power.
But there were some who resisted! A last alliance of Sackboys and Sackgirls marched against the might of Sp’ám and H4H and created the concept of a spotlight. ConfusedCartman bestowed power upon a small team of elite Sackboys to remedy the catastrophe once and for all.
The Community Spotlight had begun!
Much of the following deeds and inner workings of the spotlight are shrouded in myth and mystery. But this much is known: they began a work, a light, which would destroy the darkness. Creators once again had something to strive for, and players no longer had to lose their lives or their sanity in the madness of the community. Yet, there was even turmoil within the Spotlight Team’s own ranks!
Then, when everything was most desperate, another Sackhero named CCubbage joined the team. He took up the sword of recruitment and the shield of improvement and forged it into a new weapon: the swordshield of imprecruivement! With his swordshield he united the team and struck down Sp’ám and H4H, creating The Way of the True Spotlight! His members included Morgana25, who followed in the footsteps of OCK and became the Den Mother. She den-mothered many newcomers, ensuring they were equipped, strengthened, and enjoying themselves.
The group has changed much over time. Each of the old guard has left, and few remain from CCubbage’s days. But the Spotlight Team ever battles strong against the remains of Sp’ám and H4H, and their purpose stays the same:
Save the world from dull levels. Show the world the great levels.
Now it's your turn. Aid the community... become a true warrior of the Guild of Little Big Planet Central. Create amazing levels. Give and receive feedback. Aspire to create, to give, to allow others in the world to find joy and cheer! Only then will Sp’ám finally meet his end...
