It’s a double-edged sword, this user-generated content thing

It’s a simple equation that marketers can’t seem to grasp: The Internet plus free modeling tools equals giant dancing penises.

So it goes for Creature Creator, the free trial tool Electronic Arts released on Tuesday to herald the marketing blitz for the September shipment of its long-awaited “Spore” game. It’s the latest creation from legendary game designer Will Wright. You know, the guy behind the iconic “Sims” series. Gamers couldn’t wait to get their mitts on the free software which they downloaded by the thousands.

It’s no wonder. This tiny piece of “Spore” is really cool. The Creature Creator is super easy to use and you can lose hours making creatures, getting them to dance around and sharing them with the world on YouTube and the Spore Web site. The free Creator Creator became a catalyst for cute pink dragons and googly-eyed monsters. Oh, and “sporn.”

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