KUALA LUMPUR, AUG 16 — Play Play Asia, a team led by Singapore-based board game designer Daryl Chow, is dedicated to spotlighting tabletop games and their creators from across Asia.
Chow has organised Asian board game festivals and even brought Play Play Asia to events such as the recent All Aboard 2026 event held at Paradigm Mall PJ in July.
Seven years in the making, Play Play Asia has now opened its first permanent store and lounge at GMBB Kuala Lumpur, with its official opening ceremony held yesterday August 15.
The space goes beyond being a retail outlet where visitors can purchase tabletop games from across Asia.
It primarily serves as a place visitors can learn how to play different games, meet fellow enthusiasts and connect with the wider tabletop gaming community.
Chow, the founder of Play Play Asia, described the opening as an important milestone, likening the space to the Asian board game festival he organises, but in a more permanent setting.
“Play Play Asia is a love letter to the Asian board game industry,” he said during his speech yesterday.
The store showcases games from Malaysia, Singapore and other parts of Asia, with Chow hoping it will eventually become a home for designers and creators to meet, collaborate and help grow the region’s tabletop gaming community.
“It’s a gallery and a showcase that all the game makers can use,” he said, highlighting how the space is intended to serve a purpose beyond simply selling games.
Chow added there are many interesting tabletop games being created in Asia by talented designers, but many lack the marketing resources and visibility enjoyed by larger Western publishers.
He compared the situation to other creative industries, including film, where Asian productions can struggle to compete for attention against Western content, particularly in terms of social media and marketing reach.
This was one of the reasons behind the creation of Play Play Asia and its permanent store.
“I want to give them a chance to showcase their games, without needing to fight with the Western media,” Chow added.
Why in Malaysia?
Speaking to Malay Mail, Chow said GMBB was chosen as the store’s home because of the creative atmosphere surrounding the space.
“This mall has a very creative vibe,” noting that GMBB houses a diverse collection of independent local art galleries, craft boutiques, indie bookstores and workshops.
He added that Malaysia was chosen for the permanent store as he had noticed the country’s tabletop gaming and TTRPG scene beginning to mature.
“In the last few years, there are more creators and also growing demographics, which you can see with families looking for games to play with their kids.
“Hopefully, this is kind of a place they can call home also, where they can borrow the space and do some showcases of their products,” he added.
Hundreds of games, a tabletop tour of Asia
As Play Play Asia opened its doors, the store was already home to hundreds of games, with more titles expected to be added in the coming months.
Games from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, China and Indonesia are already available, giving visitors a chance to discover tabletop games from across the region under one roof.
Among the Malaysian titles are Nasi Lemak The Game, created by Malaysian tabletop gaming group Faculty of Fun, and Durian Runtuh, created by designer Leong Qing Ye and published by Specky Studio.
From the Philippines, the store carries Folded Wishes, a tile-sliding and paper-folding board game, as well as Watchlist, an original fast-paced cooperative card game created by game designer Ronald Villaver.
Thailand is represented by Name It! Dog Edition, a fast-paced card and party game published by Wise Box, while Indonesia’s Bambam Boom from Bambam Kingdom is also part of the collection.
Another title is Inconversible: Dawn Erasing, a cooperative deduction board game from South Korean publisher Underdog Games, and it also includes OPEN, a climbing-and-shedding game by Japanese designer Takashi Saito.
According to Chow, one of the rarer titles currently available at the store is Tofu Shifu, created by designer Ayi, published by Ayi Boardgame Craft originating from China.
The worker-placement and deck-building game puts players in charge of running a Chinese tofu restaurant.
These are just some of the games currently available, with many more titles from across Asia featured in the growing collection.
Where it goes from here
Kuala Lumpur Play Play Asia store, Chow mentioned will organise regular events, workshops, showcases, playtesting sessions and RPG sessions to keep the space active and alive.
There are also plans to open a second store in Bangkok, Thailand, although the idea is still in its early stages.
Chow said he wants to ensure the concept of having a dedicated space to showcase Asian games works before expanding further.
For now, the store is only available in level 1 of Kuala Lumpur GMBB, open Monday to Sunday from 11am to 8pm.
“Play Play Asia is a one-of-a-kind experience where you can’t find anywhere else in the world.
“You get to learn a lot about games made by Malaysians for Malaysians, but also games made by Asians and played by the whole world,” he concluded, highlighting what makes the space worth visiting.
For more information on the newly opened creative space, can visit Play Play Asia’s social media pages.
