"Katamari Damacy" Creator Doesn’t See a Long-Term Future in Making Games

If you haven’t played the PlayStation 2 game Katamari Damacy or its

sequel, We Love Katamari,

you should drop by our house sometime and

give it a whirl. It’s one of the best games to come out in a long time,

as well as one of the most simple and addictive. It’s tought to

describe, as it’s quite unlike most other games, but here’s a

recommendation: it’s a game that both Wendy (not really a game player)

and I (who whipped people’s asses in Defender in high school — even

the students from Hong Kong PH34RED MY M$D SK1LLZ) can agree upon.

Unfortunately, its creator, Keita Takahashi, would much rather make other things, such as children’s playgrounds:

“I would like to create a playground for children,” he

said. “A normal playground is flat but I want an undulating one, with

bumps.”

Considering

that a lot of playgrounds are graveyards for jungle gyms and disused

swing sets and what fun Katamari Damacy is, videogaming’s loss could be

a win for children everywhere.