The process of identifying and working with an increasingly wide range of users and communities has transformed part of Lego’s business. It still makes bricks and toys designed and sold in the ‘traditional’ fashion. But in parallel a new business has grown which engages users at the front end of innovation, designing and co-creating their own products. Importantly designs by one user might be attractive to others and so it is not simply a version of ‘vanity publishing ‘ but an interesting extension of design and marketing into the open source world. In adopting an open approach Lego has managed to brings users into its world – rather than have a growing body of users designing and exchanging ideas outside – for example there is a vibrant in dependent Lego User Network called LUGNET.
The latest development brings several of these strands together. Lego Universe is designed as a Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) like ‘World of War craft’ and others. But the difference is that the characters and creatures in Lego Universe are digital models created by the children who play in the game. Since – through projects like Lego Factory – Lego knows how to create custom toys to user designs it is now possible to have not only your own digital character playing in a virtual game but also t have its physical representation to play within the physical world. In this process Lego unites its storytelling tradition with its brick- [making and platform advantages but allows the creativity and imagination of its users to shape the real and virtual elements in the game. (See www.lego.com for more details).