National Heritage Board’s New Travelling Exhibition Celebrates Singapore’s Love for Board Games Across Generations

The National Heritage Board (NHB) is inviting Singaporeans to rediscover the joy of board games with its latest travelling exhibition, Don’t Play Play — The Games That Shape Us!, a nostalgic and interactive showcase that explores how games have connected communities, families and friends across generations.

Making its debut at One Punggol from 13 to 30 June 2026, the exhibition spotlights both classic and contemporary board games that have become part of Singapore’s social fabric, from Xiangqi and Mahjong to locally designed favourites such as Kopi King and The Singaporean Dream. Through interactive displays, quizzes, craft activities and gameplay sessions, visitors can revisit childhood memories while learning how games have shaped shared experiences and community bonds over the years.

Built around five thematic sections, the exhibition explores the role board games have played in bringing people together. From family Mahjong sessions during festive gatherings and spirited rounds of carrom in school canteens to casual games of checkers at void decks, Don’t Play Play highlights how play has long been a common language across cultures and generations in Singapore.

The exhibition begins with Why We Are All Gamers, which examines how board and card games have travelled across countries and cultures to become part of everyday life in Singapore. Through stories and personal memories, visitors can discover how games have helped people forge friendships, strengthen relationships and create a sense of belonging. Among the featured stories is that of octogenarian Sylvia Lee, who fondly recalls learning Mahjong from her mother and continues to enjoy the game today.

Visitors can then explore All Aboard! How Games Arrived in Singapore, which traces the origins and evolution of games played locally. Through an interactive quiz, visitors can learn more about traditional games such as Congkak, Xiangqi, Weiqi, Carrom and Dum, better known as Checkers, and uncover the fascinating journeys these games took before becoming part of Singapore’s cultural landscape.

The exhibition also delves into The Games We Grew Up With, featuring familiar favourites such as Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders, Scrabble and Mahjong. For many visitors, these games will evoke memories of family gatherings, rainy afternoons and friendly competition with siblings and friends.

In Where Singapore Plays Through The Years, visitors can discover how communal and recreational spaces have evolved, influencing how people interact, socialise and play. The exhibition showcases how different environments have shaped gaming experiences across generations.

The final section, Homegrown Games, celebrates the growth of Singapore’s local board game industry. From the launch of Singapore-Go in 1984 to the flourishing ecosystem of designers and publishers today, the showcase highlights how locally created games reflect uniquely Singaporean stories, humour and experiences. Featured titles such as Kopi King and The Singaporean Dream offer insights into the quirks, aspirations and everyday realities that resonate with Singaporeans.

Beyond the exhibition displays, NHB has curated a series of community programmes across two weekends in June. The first weekend will feature a mini festival atmosphere with craft workshops by local artist collective PLAY! and gaming tables hosted by tabletop community #LaiPlayLeow. Visitors can try out a selection of 15 locally designed games while learning directly from Singaporean game creators about the inspiration behind their work.

The PLAY! craft booths will offer hands-on activities inspired by classic board games, including opportunities to create Monopoly-style tokens from clay, experiment with screen printing and participate in family-friendly creative workshops.

The second weekend will see a community takeover led by local gaming groups including the Damai Board Games Community, the Singapore Scrabble Association and the Singapore Weiqi Association. Visitors can learn new games, challenge experienced players to friendly matches, and even take on an unconventional opponent in Weiqi: a robot.

By blending nostalgia, culture, creativity and community participation, Don’t Play Play — The Games That Shape Us! highlights the enduring role of games in shaping relationships and bringing people together. Whether visitors are lifelong board game enthusiasts or simply looking for a fun family outing, the exhibition offers an opportunity to reconnect with the simple pleasures of play and the memories that come with it.

Don’t Play Play — The Games That Shape Us! will be hosted at One Punggol from 13 June to 30 June 2026.