On Friday, Shon Created the Pook

Pictured to the left is a Pook. I created the race on Spore, sheperding them from when they were single cell organisms to the space faring race that they are today. In case you are wondering, he’s wearing a top hat with an antenna because if there is one thing the Pooks love, is music.

Spore gives you an amazing amount of control for your creativity. I designed the creature, his architecture, several vehicles and their overall philosophy. It can be a little overwhelming. It is one thing to decide your creature has a trunk for a mouth because it gives it the best singing voice, it is another to try to figure out what their idea of a City Hall would look like.

The best part is that when you play Spore, it uploads your creations to the central database, and then pulls from that database to populate your world and cosmos. Every creature you run into is from someone else’s game. You don’t play with anyone else, you just play with the toys they made.

What I find most interesting is what the game teaches about myself. Early on in the Just-Walked-Onto-Land phase, my Pook befriended this adorable little caterpillar creature. I also befriended this vicious looking four armed lizard. We were running around like some sort of twisted Amazing Journey when I noticed this pack of creatures had killed my caterpillar buddy. I had two options: I could try to befriend them, or I could go hostile and my lizard buddy would have slaughtered them and ended their evolutionary journey. I was angry, but here at the Dawn of Time, I felt like the decision I made would set the tone for my entire species. I tried to befriend them and one of them joined my pack.

I know it’s just a game, but I find myself increasingly avoiding the use of violence. In a game that uses other people’s creations, I find it very hard to destroy something someone else made.

Right now I am Intergalactic Diplomat, befriending races across the universe and learning their songs. Who knew I was a space hippie?