ars●bit will co-host the experimental game exhibition “Is This a Game? Exhibition 3” at “404 Not Found” (Shibuya Sakura Stage 4F) in Shibuya, Tokyo, from February 11 to 14, 2026. This exhibition will be held as a linked program within the “404 Game Center” event, taking place at the same venue during the “SHIBUYA GAMES WEEK 2026 (SGW 2026)” urban game festival (February 6-15), which transforms all of Shibuya into a game celebration.
“Is This a Game? Exhibition” is a new exhibition format where experimental game works by cutting-edge game creators, game researchers, and puzzle creators active both domestically and internationally are ‘exhibited’ and “playable.” Following the first edition in 2018 and the second in 2019, this exhibition—held for the first time in about seven years after the COVID-19 pandemic—features new works by game designers active at the forefront of analog games, including Nilgiri, Issei Asato, Kazunari Yonemitsu, who are active in the avant-garde of analog games. It also features the largest lineup to date, with a total of 19 creators. These include Tomo Kihara, an artist currently drawing attention at the Mori Art Museum’s “Roppongi Crossing 2025” exhibition; Kousaku Akano, a science fiction writer pursuing a sense of wonder born from game experiences; and Akito Inoue, a leading figure in Japanese game studies.
Not only does it blur the boundaries between games and non-games through “game experiences brought about by rules,” as seen in the previously exhibited ‘Game That Takes a Year to Play,’ but it also challenges our common notions about games through further experimental interventions in ‘play’ and “action” that extend into the realms of art, literature, ritual, and social criticism. This exhibition reveals the fascinating aspects of games beyond mere fun and enjoyment, highlighting the potential and evolution of rules. Come play and experience for yourself: “Is this a game?”
■ Exhibitors
Issei Asato (TANSAN)
Kousaku Akano
Atelier Mimir
Yoji Ando (Nano)
IKE
itten (Naohisa Shimamoto and Katsuro Tomioka)
Akito Inoue
Oink Games (Jun Sasaki)
Toru Oyama and Kenichi Shimada
Tomo Kihara (Other Rules)
Xaquinel (Shunya Shiina and Gen Nakamori)
Zennyan
Hideki Tanaka
Eternal Spring (Tokikill)
Nilgiri (Surume Days)
Himitsuri
Sora Akichi
mor!
Yonemitsu Games
■Event Details
Event Name: Is This a Game? Exhibition 3
Dates: February 11th (Wednesday, National Holiday) – February 14th (Saturday), 2026
February 11th (Wednesday, National Holiday): Registration opens at 12:30 PM, Doors open at 1:00 PM / Last exit at 8:30 PM
February 12th (Thursday): Registration opens at 10:30 AM, Doors open at 11:00 AM / Last exit at 8:30 PM
February 13th (Friday): Registration opens at 10:30 AM, Doors open at 11:00 AM / Last exit at 8:30 PM
February 14th (Saturday): Registration opens at 10:30 AM, Doors open at 11:00 AM / Last exit at 8:00 PM
■Location: 404 Not Found (Shibuya Sakura Stage, SHIBUYA SIDE 4F, 1-4 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
■ Participation Fee: Free admission. Entry may require a numbered ticket. No advance reservation required.
■ Admission limited to around 50 people at a time.
*On February 11th, a photographer will be on hand to photograph and record the venue and the experiences for record-keeping and publicity purposes.
*If the venue exceeds 50 people, we plan to limit admission by using numbered tickets.
*After registering, waiting space within the venue is limited, so we ask that you please wait while browsing nearby stores.
*Please note that depending on the number of people waiting, we may have to decline additional entries.
Organizer: NANOKA Exhibition
Co-organizer: ars●bit / Shibuya Asobi-ba Production Committee
Supported by: Japan Creator Support Fund
