Farewell, sweet ‘Dreams,’ you were always too good for us

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How do you create a video game? It’s a question without a singularly correct answer — each variation depending on the creator’s knowledge of coding, proclivity toward visual art, ability to compose music, and the amount of free time they are willing to give up to chase the elusive title of Game Designer. All of this is, understandably, a lot of work; not everyone has the time or energy (or YouTube channel that specializes in analyzing game design) to dedicate their lives toward this lofty goal, which is where creation software comes in handy. Programs like Garry’s Mod, the various iterations of RPG Maker, Super Mario Maker, Roblox, and Fortnite’s Creative Mode are designed to be frictionless sandboxes that provide players the tools to create without bogging themselves in the nitty gritty.

One of the most diverse and limitless creator sandboxes is Dreams, Media Molecule’s passion project that spent nearly a decade in the oven to provide players with the most user-friendly game creator on the market. Media Molecule has always been in the game creator business: its flagship series, Little Big Planet, included a surprisingly in-depth level creator in addition to the hand-crafted campaign. Creating has been tantamount to the studio, and it strives to make the experience as effortless and bountiful as possible.

When Dreams finally released in 2020, it was met with a warm critical reception. People loved the “campaign” Art’s Dream, an adventure created internally at Media Molecule with the tools available to all players who purchased the game. Creators went wild with the tools, making everything from original games and riffs on established games, to animations and tech demos. The community was friendly and vibrant; an award