Little Big Planet: Join the gang

A scene from Little Big Planet 3.

Little Big Planet developer David Dino scored his dream job by sitting on the couch working on his Playstation tan. He tells Chris Schulz it can happen to you, too.

If you're wondering whether all those hours you've spent playing video games are a waste of time, they're not. Just ask David Dino.

The Los Angeles resident had a boring job as a hospital performance analyst but spent so much time playing Little Big Planet, he was asked to join the franchise.

He admits taking that phone call was "weird and surreal".

"I just played Little Big Planet as a hobby," Dino told TimeOut.

"A lot of the stuff I did tended to be out of the box. I made really crazy things: gigantic monsters, robots, top down beat 'em up levels - things you don't necessarily expect to see in a platform game.

"They caught steam on the internet and Playstation asked me if I wanted to be involved when they saw my work."

Dino signed up as a developer for studio Sumo Digital to work on Little Big Planet 3, the quirky platform series that comes with a free spirit. It's one of the most customisable games on the market, allowing players to design their own characters and build their own levels, then share them among like-minded fans.

Out now in New Zealand, and having received overwhelmingly positive reviews overseas, the third instalment introduces new characters that players will have to master to complete the game's eight-hour story mode. Alongside the returning main character Sackboy, there's the four-legged puppet Oddsock, his shapeshifting sidekick Toggle, and comical bird Swoop.

Dino, who developed many of the game's more complicated levels, says that means fans will see plenty of upgrades from the first two games. "It's bigger, better - the whole nine yards. We've added so many more things to the franchise. We went nuts with it. Being able to switch between characters means there's some unique gameplay going on."

Because of his background designing his own levels, Dino's also looking forward to seeing some of the inventions players make in the game's create mode.

"The way we create the levels in the game, you can actually do the same back home. We use the same tools. We've expanded that aspect of it, which allows you to make more complex objects and larger levels.

"People have made amazing levels already - calculators, first person shooters, all kinds of things. It will be interesting to see what the community brings to this one."

Keep in mind that as you're busy building your own stuff in Little Big Planet, Dino might be watching your work, looking for the best creators to poach for the studio's next game.

"I'm not the only one in our company who's been sourced from the community," he says. "This can happen to anybody."

Win a Little Big Planet 3 prize pack!

Thanks to Playstation New Zealand, nzherald.co.nz has some sweet Little Big Planet 3 prizes to give away. They include copies of the game, a tote bag, a T-shirt, a key ring and a soft toy. Input your details using the form below to be in to win!

What:

Little Big Planet 3

Platforms:

Playstation 3, Playstation 4

Rating:

G

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- TimeOut