SAN JOSE, CA--Acclaimed video game creator Lorne Lanning has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to his creations. The co-founder of Oddworld Inhabitants is working on a next generation Oddworld game, as well as some other interactive products. He's also going to direct Citizen Siege, a CGI movie produced by John H. Williams (Shrek) that will also spawn a game. But that project is currently in "development hell." Lanning recently took the stage at Nvidia's NVISION 08 conference to discuss the advances of digital art and the use of video game engine technology for film creation. Afterwards, he sat down with GameDaily BIZ for this exclusive interview on the state of gaming today.

GameDaily BIZ: What are your thoughts on where gaming is headed?

Lorne Lanning: Personally, I think the consoles are a problem. Years ago I was excited about consoles, but anything that makes development more expensive, rather than better, faster, cheaper, I think is a step backwards. When I look at what's happening, it's a bit disappointing because the consoles are running into a place where affordable games are having a rough time getting out there.

BIZ: What about the PC gaming business?

LL: The other thing happening on the other end of the spectrum is communities -- connected gaming. Personally, I'm more excited about what I see happening on PC because I see it allowing for more smaller games to be sold that can be delivered to anyone who's connected at much lower price points. PC games also allow people to build their game as they chose. There's a big difference between spending $50 or $60 on a game and hoping I love it and buying a game for $5 and then buying additional content for that game, so by the time I have invested $50 in it I really love it and I've personalized it a lot more to what I'm interested in. And I'm sharing this experience with a global, connected audience.

"Now I have to focus on what power am I giving them to deliver their experience. I think the design task is equal in many respects, but the idea of flipping it to more controls to the audience is pretty radical and this is a pretty major shift."

BIZ: So Electronic Arts' release of the Spore Creature Creator is a step in the right direction?

LL: Yes, smaller and growth-oriented communities is where I see things going. Look at Spore and the Creature Creator. The Sporepedia already had more species registered in a few weeks than exist on the planet Earth today. That's what happens when people get excited about what other people are creating and what user-generation content can do. Of course, no one knows that better than The Sims. People are more engaged when they can personalize and control what they're doing.

BIZ: As a game designer, how do you see your role evolving with this shift to user-created content in games like Spore and LittleBigPlanet?

LL: I think what we're talking about with user-generated content is if we're putting the power in the gamers' hands, then it really depends on the power of the tools that we're giving them. Some designers are shifting more away from a narrative to create a play box where you can create your own narrative. Gamers are not only interfacing with the game, but with the tools designers are providing to build the game experience. In the past, the focus might have been on what experience am I delivering to gamers. Now I have to focus on what power am I giving them to deliver their experience. I think the design task is equal in many respects, but the idea of flipping it to more controls to the audience is pretty radical and this is a pretty major shift. I think it's very positive.