Wattam: Keita Takahashi and the Power of Play

[@WritingOnGames]

Hey! I hope you enjoyed this video on Wattam. Really happy I get to talk more about Keita Takahashi and his games. If you want to help me keep making the videos I want to make, as well rewards like separate video uploads without any kind of ads or sponsor reads, you can head to patreon.com/writingongames. Pledging even a dollar or two helps more than you know! Thank you so much!

[@razbuten]

I have pretty much never played a Takahashi game, but holy crap is his approach to creativity infectious.

[@FlameWish]

It's so lovely to see two creators you enjoy watching one another/interacting!

[@JaydevRaol]

Man, please always stay like this, we seriously need more people like you who finds something fun and interesting even in games like this which other people simply dismiss and you also have enough self-awareness to criticise or poke fun at the silliness of such games too. Every video that I see from you, it just makes me at least try to look at each game differently. So thanks a lot for continuing to do what you do. 👍

[@WritingOnGames]

This really means a lot to read. Thank you!

[@JaydevRaol]

@@WritingOnGames :)

[@sirprintalot]

Just want to throw in my two cents, that even though I criticised Wattam elsewhere in the comments (rightly, for being short, for having awful controls, for being too tricky for kids but too simple and yet frustrating for adults, for having awful performance on consoles etc.) that this video is exactly the sort of thing I want out of games journalism. Good job @Writing on Games!

[@taylor7837]

Keita Takahashi has clearly been an important person to you for a long time, and your enthusiasm shows. I don't know too many my age who don't absolutely adore at least one game by Takahashi, and you make the best videos on the internet on his work. Well done :)

[@thorhighheels]

honestly theres something kinda poetic about this video under preforming as much as it has. youtube egging u on about it too. you have become takahashi. punished for ur expression by the corporate top, as only a handful of people care to notice. great video tho! this is a pretty great companion piece to your also excellent katamari video.

[@WritingOnGames]

Talking about Keita Takahashi is the 40ft climbing frame of KZbin.

[@BenersantheBread]

3:54 Potion seller, I am going into battle and I need only your strongest potions.

[@FlameWish]

Thank you for your videos. Really.

[@AaronRotenberg]

When you said "Brechtian" at 0:51, I was concerned you were about to choke on your own saliva. 10/10 pronunciation 👍

[@TomRyckeboer]

It's very rare to see English-speaking people succeed in pronouncing that German/Dutch "ch", this at least comes very close ;)

[@jonathandspike]

I just finished Wattam (late to the party, I know) and I was very struck by the deep emotion in the story of an otherwise silly, child-like game. Thanks for this look at both Wattam and Keita Takahashi.

[@Weighty68]

Hamish never stops throwing rocks at our windows in the form of well-written, emotionally invested videos detailing the human experience through games and those that create them, so much so that we wake up in the middle of the night to frolic with him on the dew soaked grass at 2:23am talking about why games are so moving to us. Thanks for coming to my horrible metaphor talk!

[@ShynyMagikarp]

Saw your tweet. I liked, and commenting now, and passing this video around to all my friends. Love your content and your videos. Hope this catches BIG FIRE. Also, this isn't just for the sake of boosting you, your videos are great, I watch every minute.

[@HxH2011DRA]

Wholesome

[@FormaThought]

Passing this around, good stuff dude!

[@TheAlison1456]

3:56 sell me one of your potions, potion seller. you cannot have my potions, traveler. they are too strong for you.

[@godmonster333]

I've legit never played any of Takahashi's games before (or even heard of the majority of them) but am now keen to get out there and see first-hand what I've been missing!

[@MrSaturn012]

"Dodgeball can be dangerous but we don't tell kids to stop playing that" Dunno where you grew up, but dodgeball was never allowed in any school or youth club I ever attended.

[@IsThatSmoothJazz]

Your point about objects not having one designated use and each not being more important than any other definitely made me think of Tim Morton's work and Object Orientated Ontology as a whole. Definitely worth a read of 'Being Ecological' if you haven't already (although I suspect you might have!)

[@Lazypackmule]

It's crazy how little traction this video has gotten

[@madwolfcybernaut6903]

This is a beautiful game, and i think is a celebration of creativity and the magic of Childhood.

[@wolfgirl535]

Love your vids!

[@capt_capstan]

i like to theorize that the creatures and landmasses of wattam are an reviving ecosystem after the King of All Cosmos broke its original planet

[@Yodakaycool]

dang. that was nice

[@dairebarefoot6763]

I really like this guy. But Im pretty sure seesaws are the length they are for a reason lol. But I do love his enthusiasm!

[@IskandarTheWack]

When you morphed his face, why did he become magnus carlsen?

[@autumnwyvern489]

if you haven't already seen the games of 2019 list he made for giant bomb you should check it out: www.giantbomb.com/articles/keita-takahashis-top-games-of-2019/1100-5916/ its like a tiny glimpse into how he thinks about video games, and also mentions playing games with his kids and has cute drawings

[@WhoIsSirChasm]

Is there any character in Wattam who actually seeks to be left alone? This might be the introvert in me trying to go against the prospect of this world being "utopic" (as well as my belief that utopia is something that can never be achieved), but seeing how everyone in this colorful world will be granted eternal joy as long as they're united with some individual that matches their outward appearance seems to be a step too far in terms of the metaphor at hand. Maybe I'm just jaded.

[@sirprintalot]

I'm earlier than usual, so I'm just going to say this - don't get Wattam until it's on a heavy discount. Even as someone that loved Katamari Damacy and other titles that are somewhat similar (like the LEGO games), Wattam just isn't worth it at full price. The gameplay is fun for the first 30 minutes at least before it begins to feel like work, with the poor controls turning this annoying gameplay into something utterly aggravating (trying to assemble characters together, only for certain characters to run away, get on a boat and disappear to another island is utterly irritating. Like I said, it feels like work. Trying to form circles, the basis for many puzzles, by joining hands is clunky as all hell). The overly simple puzzles are one thing, but some of these simple puzzles also repeat 3 or more times during the game which inflates the playtime of the already short story. On PS4, the performance grinds to a halt as more characters get added over time until you're practically playing at 25fps (EDIT: actually, more like a slideshow) by the end of the game. The constant laughing and baby crying is cute initially but soon becomes grating. Wattam is pretty, and unique, and has a storyline that's weirdly reminiscent of Death Stranding, and also it's a Keita Takahashi game, so it's worth experiencing. Just not without a 50% or more discount. But please, buy it eventually. We need more experiences like this. Just don't expect Katamari Damacy. Takahashi is a spirited game creator, but he doesn't always manage to marry his ideas with worthwhile gameplay. This is a toy, but not a game. A toy, about toys. Hmm.

[@sirprintalot]

Must say this video is really interesting though. Wattam COULD be a great game for kids. But if an adult (see, me) is struggling to switch characters and turn/zoom the camera then I'm struggling to figure out who this is made for. It made for a nice change of pace though.

[@madwolfcybernaut6903]

okey boomer. This video is not about BUYING the game, it's about the experience. And with your argument of the cost, well if you got money or are rich, then you should not give a damn about the cost, just saying, dude Xd.

[@joshualee2458]

@@FlowUrbanFlow the 24 fps for movies and tv is arbitrary and irrelevant to games. In a fixed media, they have motion blur between frames that makes it not look terrible. It's pre-rendered and you never have to worry about responsiveness. In a game, it's rendered in real time and fewer frames mean a less-responsive and stuttery experience.

[@sirprintalot]

@@madwolfcybernaut6903 Did you seriously use 'okay boomer' on someone who was 10 when Katamari Damacy came out? I only wanted to mention it here because barely anybody has talked about Wattam online, but I know that more than a few people would have been interested to hear that the creator of Katamari was making another game. Am I not allowed to give a heads up to potential buyers that this game has a lot wrong with it? This video makes Wattam out to be a pretty cool experience (and it is) but it also has many MANY shortcomings. It's also very short and not worth £15. Also, your secondary argument is the most pointless thing I've ever heard. "Who cares about money? Just be rich!" Great advice.

[@sirprintalot]

@@FlowUrbanFlow I was being generous. I said 25fps but it's closer to a slideshow.

[@_Majoras]

this legit was one of the worst games i've ever played. wouldn't even call it a game just a demo. also interesting how takahashi attempts to shill just like nintendo "it should be about fun!" 🤣

[@ScooterCat64]

It isn't for everyone, just like how shooters or deep story driven games are not for everyone

[@madwolfcybernaut6903]

FIRST!

[@yanni4659]

Nah writing on games was first

[@madwolfcybernaut6903]

@@yanni4659 Not cool, bro u.u