While working on an original PlayStation 3 title, Keita Takahashi has begun working on a new playground in England.
Keita Takahashi, the mind behind Japanese cult sensation Katamari Damacy, is taking time away from game development of his new title Nobi Nobi Boy to focus on constructing a playground in Nottingham, England. He first announced the project at GameCity ’07 in Nottingham, where he also revealed his new current game project Nobi Nobi Boy. The project concept originated when Iain Simons, GameCity’s Director, heard that Takahashi was interested in building one. Since then, the duo has presented plans to the local city council and two nearby universities, all of which are still in discussions.
In a recent interview with Next-Gen, Takahashi lightheartedly remarked on the project. “I want to make it happen. But I don’t really understand why everyone is trusting me so much!”
Perhaps bored from doing desk work, Takahashi discussed his new interest outside of the development studio. “Being totally honest with you, I’m beginning to get a bit bored making just games. I wanted something in a different area, but quite similar. Being able to move physically, to exercise, I thought that would be a good idea to start with. … I feel that anything one does is enjoyable, has an aspect of play. But the way we live at the moment, play is actually a separate category in our lives which we need to materialize. My personal opinion is that every normal daily routine should be fun, but at the moment that doesn’t seem to be the case. The idea I have is to break that dividing line, integrate both areas.”
He wraps his plan in one simple goal: “At the moment, I just want to make a park where a child will feel like taking off his shoes and start to run.”
