Game Market (ゲームマーケット) is a Japanese gaming convention featuring "analog games" that do not require electricity, such as board games and card games. The event was first held in Tokyo on April 2, 2000. It is currently held at

Tokyo Big Sight , officially known as , is a convention center, convention and exhibition center in Tokyo and the largest such venue in Japan. Opened in April 1996, the center is located in the Ariake, Tokyo, Ariake Minami district of the on the Tokyo Bay waterf ...

twice a year, in spring and autumn, and also once a year in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

. The event has seen a rise in popularity, with attendance at the Tokyo event increasing from 2,200 in March 2010 to 7,200 in October 2014, 8,500 in May 2015, 9,500 in November 2015, and 29,300 in 2019.''2019秋来場者数報告''
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Overview

As the event is limited to games that do not require electricity, a relatively minor genre within the gaming community,''"Febri"'' magazine, September 2014 issue, page 61 Game Market hosts booths operated by both commercial businesses and enthusiast groups. The event is attended by many families and couples, and there are many booths aimed at young children and free spaces to be used as play areas. There is also a prohibition on the exhibition of adult games. Booths operated by industry stakeholders such as

Hobby Japan is a Japanese publishing company known for publishing and releasing books, magazines, light novels, games, and collectibles. Founded in 1969, the company owns and distributes such publications as the eponymous ''Hobby Japan EX'' magazine, as w ...

, Adventure Planning Service and

Group SNE Group SNE is a Japanese company founded in 1987 by the current president Hitoshi Yasuda, which produces role-playing games, light novels, board games and card games. Ryo Mizuno was one of the founding members. Group SNE's name comes from syntax ...

showcase visits by prominent game creators such as

Hitoshi Yasuda Hitoshi (written: , , , , , , , , , or in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese politician *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese photographer *, Japanese baseba ...

and Ginichiro Suzuki. Some companies from overseas, such as

Alderac Entertainment Group Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) is a publisher of family board game products. AEG was formed by Jolly Blackburn in 1993. Blackburn left the company in 1995 and the majority of the company is now owned by President & CEO John Zinser. The comp ...

also attend, due to their distribution of Japanese hobby games outside of Japan. In 2010, the convention went from being organized by a group of volunteers to being managed by

Arclight An arclight or arc lamp is a lamp that produces a bright light by generating an electric arc across two electrodes. Arclight, Arc Light or arc light may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Arclight (comics), a mutant super-villai ...

, which involved significant changes to the management system.

Past venues

*2000:

Kanda, Tokyo is an area in northeastern Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It encompasses about thirty neighborhoods. Kanda was a ward prior to 1947. When the 35 Special wards of Tokyo, wards of Tokyo were reorganized into 23, it was merged with Kojimachi to form the ...

(Kanda Panse) *2001–2012:

Asakusa, Tokyo is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known for Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as . History The development of Asaku ...

(Taito Ward Hall, Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center)

Current venues

Game Market Tokyo

*2013–:

Ariake, Tokyo is a district in Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan. It is best known as the region adjacent to and directly east of Odaiba. Ariake is subdivided into four Japanese addressing system, ''chome'' and comprises part of the Tokyo Bay Landfill No. 10 and Tokyo Rink ...

(

west area, east area) A move from Taito Ward Hall to a larger venue had been planned for 2014, but the success of the 2012 convention and the support of

Bushiroad is a Japanese entertainment company, producer of collectible card games and trading cards, and publisher of mobile apps and games, which was founded in 2007 by Takaaki Kidani and is headquartered in Tokyo. Bushiroad created and owns various med ...

prompted an earlier move in 2013 to Tokyo Big Sight West Hall 3.

Game Market Osaka

*2012-2014: Osaka Merchandise Mart. *2015 (March 1): Hanamizuki Hall (Aqua Hall) in Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park.

Game Market Kobe

The first ''Game Market Kobe'' was scheduled to be held at the Kobe International Exhibition Hall on 21 February 2016.

Main types of games

The convention features only analog games that do not use electricity, in the following main genres: *War games *Card games *Simulation games *Role-playing games (pen & paper) *Board games *Traditional games (such as go and

shogi , also known as Japanese chess, is a Strategy game, strategy board game for two players. It is one of the most popular board games in Japan and is in the same family of games as chess, Western chess, chaturanga, xiangqi, Indian chess, and janggi. ...

) *Collectible card games(from 2015 Spring) The analog games displayed can include

dōjinshi , also Romanization of Japanese, romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of exi ...

(fan fiction) and self-created games, including commercial games. The games are displayed in booths that may be run by clubs or companies. In recent years, some booths have displayed game-related goods such as miniature figurines and accessories. The exhibition venue includes a space for attendees to play with games they have bought. Booth organizers have the option of applying for a play space next to their booth where participants can try out games.

Past events

;Bid auction ;Public auction :Both auctions not the organizers of royalty. ;Bazar :Individual participants, to sell the goods in a format similar to

Flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

. ;Stamp Rally ;Traditional game experience :I can experience the traditional game in the world. So far,

Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called '' pips'' or ''dots'' ...

Backgammon Backgammon is a two-player board game played with counters and dice on tables boards. It is the most widespread Western member of the large family of tables games, whose ancestors date back at least 1,600 years. The earliest record of backgammo ...

Texas Hold'em Texas hold 'em (also known as Texas holdem, hold 'em, and holdem) is the most popular variant of the card game of poker. Two cards, known as hole cards, are dealt face down to each player, and then five community cards are dealt face up in ...

, :ja:投扇興,

Carrom Carrom is a tabletop game of Indian origin in which players flick discs, attempting to knock them to the corners of the board. In South Asia, many clubs and cafés hold regular tournaments. Carrom is commonly played by families, including c ...

, :ja:うんすんカルタ, :ja:ごいた,

Draughts Checkers (American English), also known as draughts (; Commonwealth English), is a group of strategy board games for two players which involve forward movements of uniform game pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over opponent pieces. ...

Renju ''Renju'' () is a professional variant of the abstract strategy board game gomoku. It was named renju by Japanese journalist Ruikou Kuroiwa (黒岩涙香) on December 6, 1899, in a Japanese newspaper ''Yorozu chouhou'' (萬朝報). The name "r ...

experience meetings opened. ;Korean companies exhibitors :2008–2009, Korean board game company has exhibited with their own booths.

Photos

File:Gamemarket-waiting.jpg, Game Market 2013 Autumn of the venue before the participants wait column. This waiting column is the opening just before ranged up to the outside of the building. File:Gamemarket-kidsgame.jpg, Parents and children to enjoy a board game in the "Children's Game Corner" File:Gamemarket_2014_autumn_nikonama.jpg, The board game play live spectacle by

Niconico , known before 2012 as , is a Japanese video sharing service based in Tokyo, Japan. "Niconico" or "nikoniko" is the Japanese sound symbolism, Japanese ideophone for smiling. As of 2021, Niconico is the 34th most-visited website in Japan, accordi ...

live in the venue File:Gamemarket2014autumn08.jpg, Card game playing with disabled person File:Gamemarket2015spring01.jpg, Magic: the Gathering teaching caravan by

Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (WotC or Wizards) is an American game Publishing, publisher, most of which are based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science-fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail game stores. In 1999, toy ...

,free promotion decks distributed. File:Gamemarket2015spring02.jpg, Japanese traditional card game

Hanafuda () are a type of Japanese playing cards. They are typically smaller than Western playing cards, only , but thicker and stiffer. On the face of each card is a depiction of plants, , animals, birds, or man-made objects. One single card depicts a ...

experience play corner File:Gamemarket2015spring03.jpg, Role-playing games experience play corner,6 games could be played by one hour.

References

External links

*
BoardGameGeek News Tokyo Game Market – Spring 2013ますます拡大を続けるアナログゲームの祭典「ゲームマーケット2014秋」。その幅広さと奥深さをたっぷりレポート
{{coord, 35, 37, 51, N, 139, 47, 48, E, display=title, region:JP-13_type:landmark_source:dewiki Gaming conventions Doujin Recurring events established in 2000