Keita Takahashi
Encyclopedia
is a game director, his most notable titles being Katamari Damacy
and its sequel, We Love Katamari. The original Katamari game was a surprise hit and was praised for its quirkiness, originality, and charm. He is married to Asuka Sakai.
Takahashi has named the following sources as inspiration for his Katamari games:
for children. On Wednesday 28 October 2009, Nottingham City Council
announced during the Gamecity
festival that Keita Takahashi is spending a month in the city working on designs for the play area at Woodthorpe Grange. He and his wife, the composer Asuka Sakai, formed the company uvula in October 2010 to support his freelance game design career, as well as his playground designs.
In July 2011, it was announced that he was joining Tiny Speck
's Vancouver team, working on Glitch
.
Katamari Damacy
Katamari Damacy is a third-person puzzle-action video game that is published and developed by Namco for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was first released in Japan, and then later in South Korea and North America...
and its sequel, We Love Katamari. The original Katamari game was a surprise hit and was praised for its quirkiness, originality, and charm. He is married to Asuka Sakai.
Katamari
Takahashi has stated in numerous interviews that he had no desire for Katamari to be touted as innovative or creative - he simply set out to bring the concept of simple, silly fun back into video gaming.Takahashi has named the following sources as inspiration for his Katamari games:
- Tarō Okamoto (painterPaintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, sculptorSculptureSculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
) - Tadao AndoTadao Andois a Japanese architect whose approach to architecture was once categorized by Francesco Dal Co as critical regionalism. Ando has led a storied life, working as a truck driver and boxer prior to settling on the profession of architecture, despite never having taken formal training in the field...
(architectArchitectAn architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
) - Itō JakuchūIto Jakuchuwas an Eccentric Japanese painter of the mid-Edo period when Japan had closed its doors to the outside world. Many of his paintings concern traditionally Japanese subjects, particularly chickens and other birds...
(painter) - Yoshitatsu Yanagihara (sculptor)
- Pablo PicassoPablo PicassoPablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
(painter) - Joan MiróJoan MiróJoan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
(painter) - Friedensreich HundertwasserFriedensreich HundertwasserFriedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser was an Austrian painter and architect. Born Friedrich Stowasser in Vienna, he became one of the best-known contemporary Austrian artists, although controversial, by the end of the 20th century.-Life:Hundertwasser's father Ernst Stowasser died three...
(architect, painter) - Zdeněk MilerZdenek MilerZdeněk Miler was a Czech animator and illustrator best known for his Mole character and its adventures.-Early years:...
(picture book author) - Virginia Lee BurtonVirginia Lee BurtonVirginia Lee Burton was an American illustrator and children's book author. Burton wrote and illustrated seven self-illustrated children's books, including the Caldecott Medal winning The Little House. Also known by her married name Virginia Demetrios. She died in 1968 of lung cancer...
(picture book author) - Savignac (graphic designer)
- Mitsumasa Yasuno (picture book author)
- John IrvingJohn IrvingJohn Winslow Irving is an American novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter.Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of The World According to Garp in 1978...
(author) - Tomoo Itsukida (illustrator)
- QuruliQuruliis a popular Japanese music group formed in 1996. As of March 2007, the lineup consists of Masashi Satoh and Shigeru Kishida. Their music is produced and distributed by Victor Entertainment.- Career :...
(a Japanese band) - PlaymobilPlaymobilPlaymobil is a line of toys produced by the Brandstätter Group , headquartered in Zirndorf, Germany.New products and product lines developed by a 50-strong development team are frequently introduced by Brandstätter. Some of these, such as promotional products, are only produced in limited quantities...
(toys) - Little Shop of Horrors (movie)
- Japanese cityscape atmosphere
- Culture of JapanCulture of JapanThe culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America...
Post-Katamari
In an interview http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4392964.stm Takahashi announced that he hopes to eventually move on from video games, with an ambition of designing a playgroundPlayground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
for children. On Wednesday 28 October 2009, Nottingham City Council
Nottingham City Council
Nottingham City Council is the non-metropolitan district council for the unitary authority of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire. It consists of 55 councillors, representing a total of 20 wards, elected every four years. It is led by Jon Collins, of the majority Labour Party. The deputy leader of the...
announced during the Gamecity
Gamecity
GameCity is an independent, annual videogame festival in Nottingham, England. The festival is aimed at the general public, and many events allow members of the public to participate freely. The festival receives little funding from the commercial video game industry, and is concerned instead with...
festival that Keita Takahashi is spending a month in the city working on designs for the play area at Woodthorpe Grange. He and his wife, the composer Asuka Sakai, formed the company uvula in October 2010 to support his freelance game design career, as well as his playground designs.
In July 2011, it was announced that he was joining Tiny Speck
Tiny Speck
Tiny Speck is a computer gaming startup founded in 2009, with personnel located in both Vancouver and San Francisco. The core team is largely drawn from the founders of Ludicorp, the company which created Flickr....
's Vancouver team, working on Glitch
Glitch (video game)
Glitch is a browser-based massively multiplayer online game released on September 27th, 2011. Glitch centers on traveling through time in an effort to save the planet, and in order to accomplish this the player must enter into a creation myth through which they shape the future.- Gameplay :Glitch's...
.
Published works
- Katamari DamacyKatamari DamacyKatamari Damacy is a third-person puzzle-action video game that is published and developed by Namco for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was first released in Japan, and then later in South Korea and North America...
- Director, Designer - We Love Katamari - Director, Designer
- Noby Noby Boy - Director, Designer