GameCity Announces Japanese Videogame Creator to Design Children’s Playground in Nottingham
GameCity at Nottingham Trent University, in conjunction with Nottingham City Council (NCC) today announced that Namco’s award-winning Japanese videogame designer Keita Takahashi will design a children’s playground for Nottingham City.
A keynote speaker at GameCity in 2007, Takahashi is a formally trained artist and the creative genius behind the critically acclaimed Katamari Damacy videogames, and the radically innovative Noby Noby Boy. The iconoclastic and much-loved game designer is spending a month in Nottingham where he will consult school children, local communities and the NCC Landscape Architect to discuss and develop ideas for the playground.
Councillor Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture & Customers at Nottingham City Council said, “We’re delighted to have Takahashi-san on board and very much looking forward to working with him on this unique collaboration.”
After considering several sites NCC has selected Woodthorpe Grange Park for the Takahashi-created playground. The site’s natural rolling hills may add to the design and enable some interesting and playful landscapes.
Iain Simons, Director of GameCity at Nottingham Trent University added, “Of all the things we’ve done over the last four years, this is the project that’s most important to me personally. In terms of GameCity playing a real role in the life of Nottingham, this is as good as it gets!”
GameCity runs from 27 – 31 October, 2009. www.gamecity.org
About GameCity
GameCity is the UK’s best-loved gaming event, attracting international speakers like Alexei Pajitnov, creator of Tetris and Keita Takahashi, the man behind the Katamari Damacy phenomenon, as well as exclusive game premieres, debates in Indian restaurants and amazing music events. A five-day festival which takes gaming out into the streets, shops and cinemas of Nottingham, it’s about finding out what a videogame festival could be.
About Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University is the lead partner of Nottingham’s annual GameCity festival. Its Centre for Contemporary Play brings together inter-disciplinary projects and expertise from across the university, encouraging knowledge transfer and partnerships with the gaming industry. www.ntu.ac.uk
