The result was a hit game with such creative
spark that it crossed the usual boundaries of gaming,
appealing to players old and young, male and female.
Sometimes creative ideas just come to you, and
the trick is to know when to stand by a game idea that
seems far-fetched. Keita Takahashi, designer of the
quirky and innovative hit game Katamari Damacy, was
given an assignment while working at Namco to come
up with an idea for a racing game. The young artist and
sculptor wanted to do something more original than
a racing game, however, and says he just ???came up
with??? the idea for the game mechanic of a sticky ball,
or katamari, that players could roll around, picking up
objects that range from paper clips and sushi to palm
trees and policemen. Takahashi has said inspiration for
the game came from sources as wildly di?¬? erent as the
paintings of Pablo Picasso, the novels of John Irving,
and Playmobil brand toys, but it is also clear that
Takahashi has been in?¬‚ uenced by Japanese children??™s
games and sports such as tamakorogashi (ballroller) as
a designer and is thinking beyond digital games for his
future creations.
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