So what is Little Big Planet?
LBP, created by Media Molecule, published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe in 2008 for the Playstation 3, is a platform adventure game. However the adventures of the central character Sack Boy are not confined to those created by the original developers, the game allows players to create their own levels and share these levels with others.
Play, Create and Share is the power of LBP and to-date there literally millions of levels that have been created. These can be found at the LBP community lbp.me.
We believe it is the creative and sharing capabilities of the game that provides teachers with new tools to create learning opportunities which are challenging, informative and engaging.
Little Big Planet in the Classroom
The benefits and opportunities of LBP have the focus of a pilot project in 14 Wolverhampton, UK, schools throughout the Autumn term 2011. Called the LBP Challenge schools were invited to form teams of students crating levels around the theme of Wolverhampton. Perhaps the most significant aspect of the project was the academically rigorous evaluation of the outcomes undertaken by Lancaster University.
As major contributors to the development of the project it has been an opportunity for us to put into practice games based learning strategies and come to understand some of the practical management issues teachers are faced with when introducing and developing games and gaming technology into the classroom.
Find out more about the LBP Challenge at www.lbpchallenge.com
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