FIRST TAKES: Let's Play! - Why Asian Games Still Hold Us Together (Even When We Pretend They Don’t)

Walk into Let’s Play! at the Asian Civilisations Museum, and you’re instantly reminded that games in Asia were never just “games.” They were training grounds, quiet teachers, social glue, and sometimes, very efficient tools for competitive aunties to crush your self-esteem before dessert.

From mahjong tiles clacking with the intensity of a stock exchange to the soft thunk of congkak seeds moving across a carved board, Let’s Play! is an exhibition wrapped in nostalgia, discipline, history, and a surprising amount of beauty. These aren’t just pastimes — they’re cultural architectures.

What’s refreshing is how the exhibition refuses to treat games as childish ephemera. Instead, it gently insists that games reveal who we are. Mahjong teaches strategy and intuition; chess teaches hierarchy and order; congkak teaches rhythm and resourcefulness; go teaches the art of patience and territory. And all of them teach you how to recover gracefully when losing to someone half your age.

But the real charm of Let’s Play! lies in how deeply Asian its approach is. Games here were rarely neutral. They reflected status, ceremony, mental discipline, power, trade routes, and migration. Some travelled across borders, absorbing meaning as they went — just like the people who played them.

And ACM has leaned fully into that spirit.
The playable interactives, outdoor installations and in-gallery activities make this a rare exhibition where you’re encouraged to touch things without a security guard materialising behind you. Families play side by side, kids sprint between installations, and adults suddenly remember they used to enjoy things before emails existed.

The playful extension, Let’s Play More!, turns the museum foyer into a communal gaming zone — from borrowable game kits to a giant digital board that brings your hand-coloured game token to life. The Snakes & Ladders-inspired architectural installation is an unexpected highlight: a reminder that life is really just a series of random upgrades and unfortunate downgrades, but somehow still enjoyable.

And maybe that’s the heart of Let’s Play!.

In a world where everything feels accelerated and optimised, games slow us down just enough to reconnect — with each other, with memory, with imagination. They remind us that joy doesn’t need to be productive, and play doesn’t stop at childhood.

Our first take is this:
ACM’s Let’s Play! isn’t just an exhibition; it’s a reset button disguised as fun. Go with your friends, your family, or by yourself. Touch the objects. Lose gracefully. Laugh loudly.
This is one exhibition that truly invites you to play — and mean it.

Let's Play! Exhibition
Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore
5 September 2025 - 7 Jun 2026