No more computer games for the guy behind that Katamary Damacy masterpiece. And even a few words are a lesson of design:

“In 10 years time, I am not going to be making games any more,” Keita Takahashi told the BBC News website.

“I would like to create a playground for children,” he said. “A normal playground is flat but I want an undulating one, with bumps.”

At first glance, this seems a strange ambition for a game designer. But Mr Takahashi has a degree in sculpture and Katamari is all about a tactile world.

And he believes children should spend more time in the physical world and less time wrapped up in the virtual world of games.