Spore: What’s in Your Imagination?
© Tyler Howarth
Spore became more than just a game, it was an experience. Created by Will Wright (author of other lifestyle type games such as the SIMS series), Spore combined multiple layers, functionalities and put the power in the hands of the player.
If you are unfamiliar with the Spore game, it was about creating your own species and walking it along an evolutionary past. (You're kind of like God.) The game had 5 stages, a cell stage, creature stage, tribal stage, civilization stage and finally a space stage. The game left the user with the ability to create and decide at every stage. In fact, Will Wright promised that the game would allow for individualization and hours of enjoyment, particularly in the final stage of space exploration.
One of the biggest selling points of the game was the creature creator (which was released early and has since come out with multiple upgrades). The game finally went public in 2008 and continues to have an avid following for its upgrades and add-ons.
The game itself is an engrossing experience. The online interplay, however, was more repulsive than exciting. Maxis put together the Sporepedia where users could upload their creations to share with others (buildings, creatures and ships). This of course led to a number of creations made solely for joke purposes, and I mean the adult kind (think graphic).
The space section of the game gave the most flexibility. And all the other levels are worth playing just to get to this bit. However, be careful, the space stage is also the most challenging!
If haven't had a chance to experience Spore, I highly recommend it. Though it will require quite a bit of space on your computer and will be highly demanding of your processing power, so be prepared!
Thoughts on Spore?