‘Tākaro’ esports events has been launched to connect tamariki and rangatahi with the National Library of New Zealand, placing it as the hub of sharing knowledge through interactive and modern technology.
Gaming has a bad rep. ‘Tākaro’ is about to change that by showing that eSports is a way for young people to connect with their peers as well as professionals in the industry while finding support and inspiration.
eSports is where mindset matters, and being open to working as a team is key. Tamariki and rangatahi can benefit from gaming in that it provides an environment where they can learn from others, better their best through disciplined practice and study, approaching a challenge with positivity and gusto and by setting and reaching tangible goals. All while being in engaged in something they love!
The visual language of gaming is rich with inspiration. In order to capture the attention of our target audience Tākaro’s identity looks and feels authentic to the industry and stands strongly as something separate and special from other NZNL programmes. To help achieve this, a hero image along with an ‘emblem’ has been crafted to comfortably sit amongst international gaming trends; the current games and the professional gamers/brands.
Short animation designed as a teaser for social channels.
Tākaro Hero Image: Neo World
The excitement of stepping into and exploring new worlds is a natural way to pique the interest of our audience. It was important the image felt authentic to latest gaming graphics to therefore place Tākaro, and by extension, the National Library, as credible in the minds of our audience. Using leading gaming industry 3D technology, Unreal Engine 5, a game-real immersive scene has been built complete with meta humans to entice viewers.
We see a team of five entering this Neo World, ready to embark on the exciting and mysterious quest ahead. This Neo World presents an evocative landscape. Made primarily from majestic mountainous rock formations, ice and water, it is somewhere completely uncharted and open ended.
The presence of water is important in that it lets us know the land is life giving and habitable, so it is hopeful, not barren and post-apocalyptic. The landscape is kept naturally rugged with architectural details (including the gorgeous National Library building) minimally dotted through, open with possibility to what this Neo World entails.
The sky is lit up, rich with futuristic and intense neon colours. Nebulae glow, stars shimmer, shoot and fall creating light streaks, and otherworldly spheres emit neon lights through into the sky.
It’s an awe inspiring vision, yet not so complete in detail that it tells a complete story ... viewers can decide what may lay ahead according to their own interest/fantasy. Our Neo World invites them in to imagine.
Our five team members are silhouetted against this awesome backdrop, placed on an elevated rock in the foreground, waiting with anticipation for the quest to begin. It’s game on!
“This Neo World presents an evocative landscape. Made primarily from majestic mountainous rock formations, ice and water, it is somewhere completely uncharted and open ended. ”
Collaborator: Cameron Smith