Keita Takahashi's Taking A Break From Gaming, Misses The PS2 Era

Katamari Damacy and Noby Noby Boy are two examples. But after seeing the output at this year's E3, Takahashi reckons it might be time to take a break from the games industry.

He told OPM that he's "not thinking about a future in video games," and added: “At E3 I saw people putting on speeches but I thought the future seemed a bit dark. The 3D games didn’t spark my interest. I think motion control’s a bit old now, I don’t think those games are the future. It all seemed a bit dull.”

Takahashi reckons the focus on technology is making him lust for the older says.

“It’d be good if we could go back to the PS2 era,” he said. “Instead of spending lots of effort developing new technology, I think ideas are the most important thing.”

Takahashi's opinion surprises us. He's definitely right, it seems iteration and technology is taking the centre stage, but there's also more opportunity for unusual ideas to reach the masses than ever before. Platforms such as the PlayStation Network (or WiiWare and XBOX Live Arcade) and the iPhone are allowing small developers to put bold ideas out with little to no risk. Sure, they're not the type of games that are dominating the centre stage at E3, but they are still and important component of the industry. The PS2 era would never have allowed such bold ideas to hit the mainstream, because every game required a disc and retail release. There's no better time for Takahashi. Perhaps he's simply justifying his decision to exit the industry and try something new?