I haven’t done my homework in a while, and since I *just* saw Psychochild last week I think it only fair that I jump through some hoops. (yay blogfodder)

Here’s this week’s homework question:

Most geeky people remember having construction toys as a kid: Legos, erector sets (heh heh), and so on. More modern games have taken this, with the Pirates of the Spanish main constructible strategy game. So, the challenge this week is to think of a video game with the theme of construction. This could be a single-player game, or a system in an online game.

A few games that he didn’t mention spring immediately to mind, one that I am not very fond of and two that I’m really really looking forward to.

Second Life, obviously, can be a very construction-heavy experience. In fact, one could argue that by default building things is the only real game element in that world. Having enjoyed Hemlock’s recent commentary on elements of the 2L landscape, I know that there’s a lot of stuff involved in making a space in Second Life. Just not my cup of tea, though.

Spore is another title that this recalls to me, based on comments made by Will Wright at SXSW this year. He likened the title Spore to toys, and called his philosophy one more of toy-making than game-making. He wants to give users the ability to make their own fun, instead of forcing ‘the one true way’ onto people. This is something that resonated with me very heavily; I have a feeling if Spore is ever released it’s going to go over really big with folks.

The other title that springs to mind is Little Big Planet, which (considering the dissapointment factor in Lair and Heavenly Sword) really is turning out to be the reason I bought a PS3. I can’t wait to get my hands on that game, for both a consumption and construction experience. I’ve never really been much of a builder (never did mods or NWN modules), but the simplicity and ease of use implied by everything I’ve seen in LBP so far has be really enthusiastic. I’m especially looking forward to playing/building with my wife. She has a much better aesthetic eye than I do, and I think together we could make some pretty cool stuff(tm).

Online games, though, are generally my cup of tea, and construction in an online space is a tricky widget. Psychochild already mentioned housing in online titles, which is my personal favorite way to build in a MMOG. SWG’s housing is a treat, and I’m really looking forward to whatever Blizzard comes up with for WoW.

What would I like to see in a future game, though? That’s the question. Well, I’ve argued before for non-combat co-op options in games, and this seems like a great opportunity. A group could get together together in a game to take on a specific project, a very particular type of quest. The blueprint/quest would have exacting requirements for resources, which the group would then have to gather from the environment. Once assembled, the resources could be used to construct the boat/house/etc via mini-games ala Puzzle Pirates.

Really, now that I think of it, Puzzle Pirates’ crafting system is one of my favorite ways to construct things online. I especially like the nature of charity surrounding crafting; You can sign up to work for a shop and get paid for your efforts as you make clothing/swords/etc … but you don’t *need* to be signed up to play the minigames. In essence, if you really like a type of puzzle you can craft another player’s goods for the fun of it.

Why the hell aren’t there more games where you can say something like “I’m going to go craft for fun?”