EVENT REVIEW - GAMEHOTEL JAPAN UNLIMITED

Two of today's most celebrated Japanese game developers - Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the legendary creator of Rez and Space Channel 5, and Keita Takahashi, the up-and-coming mastermind behind cult title Katamari Damacy - made their first public appearances in Europe as another exuberant edition of GAMEHOTEL's flagship live event explored promising threads of innovation and creativity in interactive entertainment.

Highlights of the light-hearted soirée included the exclusive demo of Takahashi's second Katamari Damacy title, a preview of Mizuguchi's Xbox 360 launch title Ninety Nine Nights, plus the eagerly anticipated first collaboration between the two Japanese creators in the world premiering GAMEHOTEL DEATHMATCH cake decoration extravaganza.

Among the many other memorable moments: a new edition of the acclaimed GAMEHOTEL REPLAY series on the relation between technology and creativity, a giant musical blind test featuring famous game tunes courtesy of the unique Tanguy Ukulele Orchestra, and a spontaneous multiplayer session between Mizuguchi and thrilled audience members.

EXCITING AND DEEPLY CONTEMPORARY
As the clear September sky veered toward the color of dark blue Japanese ink, crowds of gaming enthusiasts gathered outside the former aristocratic town house in the historic Marais neighborhood, wildly determined to gain access to the sold out GAMEHOTEL venue where the cream of Paris' game developers and digital creatives, as well as numerous representatives from the media, had convened.

"Video games hold a unique position in our cultural landscape," says GAMEHOTEL producer Tina Cassani. "However, public discussion still largely ignores the exciting developments in this deeply contemporary form of expression. GAMEHOTEL closes this gap in the current debate and puts games where they belong: right on top of the cultural agenda of the 21st century."

"It's time that game developers get all the attention they deserve," says Bruno Beusch, head of organizing TNC Network, and host of the GAMEHOTEL series. "Today, video games are in a situation comparable to that of movies in the first half of the 20th century. Game developers are currently shaping the future of interactive entertainment, and creating the first masterpieces of a new art form. GAMEHOTEL is playing host to the future Chaplins and Hitchcocks of video games!"

TURN UP THE VOLUME !
Inside the bustling GAMEHOTEL venue, thunderous applause welcomed the first guest, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, one of the industry's most respected designers, back to the show after his noted appearance at GAMEHOTEL GDC in California. Relaxed, despite his heavy travel schedule, and put in an excellent mood by the show's stylish, yet laid-back ambiance, the former boss of Sega's UGA studio kicked off the evening chatting about the creative freedom he is enjoying with his new company, Q Entertainment. "We're digital backpackers, swift, and small enough to survive," he said, adding that his goal was to shape "the future of interactive entertainment by exploring many opportunities well beyond console gaming, from broadband PC to iPods to mobile phones."

In the first demo of the show, Q Entertainment's mesmerizing music-puzzle fusion Lumines, which was released on Sony's "interactive walkman" PSP, Mizuguchi-san let the audience experience the title's amazing multisensorial power on the big screen, with the sound turned up to maximum volume, as he immersed himself into the game for ten minutes. The host added to the excitement by inviting audience members to a spontaneous multiplayer session on stage. While one of the spectators woefully missed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity ("No, my battery is dead!"), Mizuguchi easily defeated his remaining opponent, as he pointed out the universal quality of games, the common ground shared by people around the world.

HIGH-DEF GAMES
After demoing his second musical puzzle game, the Nintendo DS title Meteos (produced in collaboration with former HAL Labs member Sakurai-san), and revealing details on his latest project, Every Extend Extra (a re-branded version of a shareware developed by Japanese designer Omega), Mizuguchi engaged in an intriguing dialog with the host about his wide-ranging influences. From the Lumiere brothers' work, to tribal music in Africa, to the TV series "24," to current developments on the net - he insisted that anyone who wants to design new interactive experiences needs to look beyond the world of gaming, and foster a constant exchange with other pop cultural sectors.

His fascinating appearance ended with a preview of his first adventure game, Ninety Nine Nights, one of the launch titles for the new Xbox 360 gaming console. "This is a brand-new challenge for me," Mizuguchi said, revealing how new technology has always been a key inspiration to him. "We don't yet have a word for these new high-def experiences, but it's a new world coming. There will be emotion, story, drama, like in a movie - but it's not a movie, it's interactive. What is it? My answer will be Ninety Nine Nights!"

GAMEHOTEL REPLAY
The multifaceted relationship between creativity and technological innovation was the focus of another edition of the new GAMEHOTEL REPLAY series. With the much-awaited next generation console gaming hardware just around the corner, GAMEHOTEL REPLAY invited the audience to frame gaming within a larger perspective, and look at how new technology has affected innovation and creativity in game design in recent years.

The series' guest commentator, Ubisoft's worldwide technical director, and game aficionado supreme, Julien Merceron, showed how the creators of key titles of past years, such as Phantasy Star Online, Metal Gear Solid 2, GTA San Andreas, and Halo, have taken advantage of the new technological power provided by Sega's Dreamcast, Sony's PS2, and Microsoft's Xbox, to change our way of gaming. He envisioned a near future where each player has a different experience while achieving the same goal, and concluded: "It's about putting the creativity on the game development side, but also on the player's side."

BLIND TEST
In one of the unexpected segues that makes life so interesting, and GAMEHOTEL so unique, the REPLAY segment was followed by the first public performance of the infamous Tanguy Ukulele Orchestra. The one-of-a-kind micro-ensemble that has recently come to fame on the internet was the special guest of the first edition of the GAMEHOTEL BLIND TEST.

In this light-hearted contest the audience had to correctly name famous game tunes. The Tanguy Ukulele Orchestra masterfully interpreted tunes taken from Zelda, Katamari Damacy, and Space Harrier games. Energized by the fevered throng, maestro Tanguy demonstrated unheard of performance skills, as he immortalized the historic moment by bravely taking pictures of the audience with his digital camera, while concurrently playing the ukulele and humming away on the familiar tunes.

CULT OF KATAMARI
The applause had barely faded away, when the appearance of a Katamari image on the big screen triggered a wave of recognition in the audience. It reached its climax as the second Japanese guest of the show, up-and-coming game creator Keita Takahashi, appeared on stage. Wearing a knitted Katamari cap on his head, and holding a set of cute puppets in his arms, the mastermind behind one of the greatest success stories of past years was joined in joyful celebration of the Katamari cult by the host who had put on a paper nose symbolizing the game's King character.

As Takahashi started to give an exclusive demo of the aptly named follow-up title, We Love Katamari Damacy, the audience spontaneously started to sing the infectious title track of the game, taking the joie-de-vivre of the evening to a new level. The young Namco designer has suddenly risen to prominence with his ball-rolling debut game, where the player rolls objects into an ever-increasing clump. Takahashi freely admitted that he was very surprised by the game's enthusiastic reception around the world. "More than the originality of Katamari Damacy, I think it's the lack of originality of other games, that make this so appealing to many people," he said.

ORIGINAL GAMES
Engaging in a relaxed conversation with the host and the audience, Takahashi revealed: "I did not want to create a sequel, because I'm against writing sequels." He also revealed that he won't participate in the next Katamari installment to be released on the PSP, preferring to move forward, and create something new. But, with a big smile on his face, he added: "Just a few minutes ago, backstage, Mizuguchi-san scolded me gently saying that I should take responsibility for the game."

With his bold and frank statements, Takahashi has quickly emerged, over the past year, as a key voice in the game industry. When asked why his future is in the games industry, he said that - despite his frequent critiques - he strongly believes in the massive potential of video games which he feels is not yet being sufficiently exploited. "I want to make more exciting games, make people understand that games can be more interesting, and I want to encourage other people to create original games!"

GAMEHOTEL DEATHMATCH
To wrap up the soirée in style, Takahashi was joined on stage by Mizuguchi, as two huge cakes, made from premium pure Ivory Coast cocoa, were brought in for use in the eagerly anticipated GAMEHOTEL DEATHMATCH. A memorable creativity competition was launched between the Japanese All-Star team, featuring Mizuguchi and Takahashi, and the Audience All-Star team, selected from courageous audience members. Their mission: to decorate the delicious cakes with images of game character Carl "CJ" Johnson from Rockstar's GTA San Andreas.

Fears of things degenerating into a pie-throwing slapstick farce were quickly dismissed, as one of Paris' most creative chef patissiers joined the teams on stage to keep things under control and providing expert advice and professional tools to the contestants. The first ever collaboration between Mizuguchi and Takahashi started with Mizuguchi declaring that he would act as the producer, while Takahashi would come up with the creative twists.

Much to the despair of the patissier, they immediately started cutting the cake in pieces. The flat marzipan-made CJ was quickly rolled up by a big cocoa katamari. Despite brave efforts, and support from the public, the Audience All Stars could not keep up with such bold originality. Based on criteria such as hygiene and cleanliness of the work place, precision, speed, and, of course, originality, the chef patissier declared the Japanese team the winner of the first GAMEHOTEL DEATHMATCH.

CREATIVITY BOOST
As the public was invited to join the guests on stage for a final partaking of the creatively modded cakes, happy faces could be seen throughout the venue. While some developers demoed their own games to the Japanese guests, others were chasing autographs, exploring the designer toy showcase set up by Parisian retailer Artoyz, or simply enjoying a piece of chocolate cake hacked to pieces by the most unlikely patissiers ever.

And as the audience finally left the GAMEHOTEL venue after the three-hour extravaganza, one guest put it this way: "GAMEHOTEL was again an amazing boost of creativity. I'll be going home with a big smile on my face, full of energy to make people happy with great games. The way GAMEHOTEL approaches the gaming world, this is my dream come true."

PRAISE FROM THE PUBLIC AND THE MEDIA
GAMEHOTEL was launched in 2003 as a series of international events spotlighting the most innovative personalities of the worldwide video games scene and offering wide-ranging access to the cultural phenomenon that is interactive entertainment. In 2004, it has become part of the official program of the world's premiere video game developer convention, the Californian Game Developers Conference. The audience and the media described GAMEHOTEL events in glowing terms:

French daily Libération: "A great evening on digital pop culture". Leading London-based game magazine Edge: "GAMEHOTEL offers moments of rare cultural insights. A valuable and enduring achievement; refreshing and exuberant". Californian Xbox Nation magazine: "Fun, relaxation, and intelligent discourse! A much-needed counter-balance to the industry's play-it-safe agenda". Yahoo: "The symbol of future events on video games". Online game magazine Gamespot: "[Featuring] some of the most innovative people in games, GAMEHOTEL was a success." French weekly Télérama: "The place where you discover tomorrow's games and digital heroes." High-profile game magazine Gamasutra: "A celebration of video gaming as it relates to pop culture at large." Influential blog Kotaku: "Crawling with hot game designers. A slick stage presentation and interview extravaganza ... impressive." Tokyo-based game magazine Famitsu: "Relaxing atmosphere, cheerfully designed!"

The guest list of previous GAMEHOTEL events and spin offs reads like a who’s who of video games: Japanese music-action game master Masaya Matsuura; Sony Worldwide Studios' president, Phil Harrison; Sims creator Will Wright; French and Swedish alternate reality gaming pioneers Tom Söderlund and Mathieu Castelli; British game developer legend Peter Molyneux; French visionary David Cage; author and columnist Steven Poole, and many more have shared their thoughts and visions while demoing their latest titles.

GAMEHOTEL BRAND
In addition to its flagship live events, GAMEHOTEL also produces an ongoing series of TV/radio programs on game culture, as well as GAMEHOTEL seminars and focus sessions on game-related skills and techniques in education and the workplace. The release of a book on GAMEHOTEL is scheduled for 2006. This entertaining journey into the universe of video games will spotlight the positions, ideas and visions of leading video game developers and GAMEHOTEL guests.

SEASON FOUR
In early 2006, GAMEHOTEL's flagship live event will continue its European tour and swap the intimate setting of a Parisian town house for the vibrant feel of one of Europe's most thriving club environments. A new edition in Paris will be followed by the first venture into the German-speaking part of Europe.

The upcoming GAMEHOTEL events will be held in conjunction with a complementary professional conference. GAMEHOTEL PRO will respond to the increasing interest in game-related skills and techniques in the workplace, among IT and telecom professionals, in creative industries, as well as in the education and research communities.

See also: event preview - stellar lineup at parisian gamehotel events