Google doodle capturing Olympics through video game

Presenting the spirit of the Tokyo games is no easy task, any attempt needs to capture the current state of the world, the culture of the Olympics, and the host nation’s heritage

The Olympics as a sporting event are testament to humanity’s resilience and its pursuit of excellence. Baron de Coubertin’s 1896 restart of the ancient Greek sporting event understood the international meet as one that celebrates the human spirit and a willingness to put oneself out there, despite all odds.

Thus, this year’s delayed Tokyo summit showcases the world’s ability to participate despite the ongoing pain and loss from a generational pandemic.

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Presenting the spirit of the Tokyo games is no easy task, any attempt needs to capture the current state of the world, the culture of the Olympics, and the host nation’s heritage. Google’s doodle manages to do all that and so much more with generous dollops of legacy 16-bit video game love. If you haven’t experienced it in the last week, I request you to take some time out and entertain yourself; there is something there for everyone. The doodle is so rich in detail, design that there is enough here for it to be analysed like a full-fledged game.

As the game opens (for the lack of a better word), you arrive by boat to an island full of games, you play as Lucky – a calico cat. Calico cats, a part of Japanese heritage signify luck and are generally feminine in nature; Google is addressing both heritage and gender equality right away.

Your first steps on the island trigger memories of classic 16-bit Japanese games as the design and music just crash your senses. Google has done a fantastic job by partnering with the Japanese animation studio 4°C as in a second you forget you are watching a doodle as you instantly start playing.

The doodle draws on Japanese lore as you decide what team to join and then overcome challenges posed by 8 Japanese mythical creatures. From table tennis to rock climbing, and from archery to skateboarding this doodle is a great representation of the Olympics in video game form.

The Google doodle has often tapped into games in the past, but never with something so ambitious. This doodle has accomplished what recent games like Ghost of Tsushima and Scarlet Nexus have tried with regards to showcasing Japanese culture to the world, but on a much larger scale in a much simpler form.

However, through this doodle Google has not just made the world aware of Japan’s culture and heritage experience but it has also made engagers experience the spirt of sportsmanship and competition.

Through a video game-centric format (ludic if you will) it has succeeded to capture an epoch in human time and suddenly you begin to wonder if there is more to games than play? Scratch that, if there is more to play in a few seconds of leisure? Maybe a lifetime of memories?

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