The Colour Red in Little Big Planet

As I have been looking at the game Little Big Planet I have started to notice that the colour red features heavily through the game. It is used in a couple of ways which I have decided I want to look into more closely.

The first is that it is used to draw the player’s attention to it. As shown in one of the previous images directional arrows are marked in red, a very bold bright colour which is clear to see. Little Big Planet has very little red scenery, so when the colour does appear, it draws the players eye to what it is showing.

Red also marks danger in the game. In real life red is often shown to demonstrate danger or something to be aware of. There are items in little big planet that explode, killing the player if they come into contact with an explosion. Bombs on Little Big Planet are marked with a red X that covers the whole face of the bomb. Other explosives in the game have a timer on them, which is demonstrated with two arrows. One arrow on the explosive spins around until the tip of it comes into contact with the tip of a second arrow that remains stationary on the explosive. Both of these arrows are clearly marked in red drawing the player’s eye, and also demonstrating the danger of these explosives.

The other obvious use of the colour red in the game is on buttons. These buttons often trigger something and without pressing them, a player may not be able to progress through the game, therefore it is important that these buttons are made obvious.
Red is used in many ways in Little Big Planet and for a variety of purposes including some that share a meaning with those demonstrated in the real world.