The “Game Jam Volunteer Exhibition in Kyoto”, an event that brought together games packed with the fresh ideas and passion of student creators, was held on October 25 and 26, 2025, at the Kyoto International Manga Museum.

A total of 12 games, all created by student teams during the “BitSummit Game Jam” (a part of Japan’s largest indie game event), were available for everyone to play. Visitors could get to interact and try out these unique titles—many of which shined with the free-wheeling creativity you only find in student projects, like games controlled by facial expressions or ones that use custom controllers. In this article, we will give you a report on what the event was like.

What is the “Game Jam Volunteer Exhibition in Kyoto”?

This is an event where students from multiple universities collaborate to create and exhibit their own games, all of which are available for visitors to play. The event was co-hosted by Kyoto Seika University.

The venue showcased games that student teams had completed over a three-month development period. These were standout works originally presented at the “BitSummit Game Jam”, featuring the fresh ideas and passion unique to students, and have been gathering attention both in Japan and overseas. This exhibition featured a selection of 12 games from the 2024 and 2025 BitSummit Game Jams.

What is the “BitSummit Game Jam”?

BitSummit, which has famously introduced Japanese indie creators to the world, runs this event to help foster young talent. The theme for 2025 is “spooky and weird 妖＋妙“.

The goal is to help young creators develop a global perspective and diverse values, enabling them to connect with participants from Japan and abroad through the common language of games. It supports creators by giving them the chance to exhibit their developed games at the main BitSummit event. More information (Japanese): https://www.creators-guild.com/bitsummit-game-jam-2025

Why did a game event hold at a “manga” museum?

You might be wondering, “Why hold a game-related event at the Kyoto International Manga Museum, a place dedicated to manga?” To answer that, we need to think about the nature and power of games as a medium.

Manga is not just about panel layouts; it functions as a storytelling medium. Long ago, Katsushika Hokusai depicted the lives of real people and various mythical creatures in his Hokusai Manga. This idea of a medium that lets you immerse yourself in another world has evolved with technology. Games are built by combining many technologies, like animation, illustration, and 3D computer graphics. Games, especially those with on-screen continuity, have become rooted in our daily lives as an extension of the “experiential” value that media like manga first created. If we think of game characters not just as things that limit the player, but as beings that expand our freedom of experience within the real world, we might discover something new.

Introducing games created by students

The venue featured 12 different games, with the student developers themselves on hand to chat with visitors. The crowd was diverse, ranging from young kids who love games and international tourists who just happened to stop by, to high school students thinking about their university plans. Details on all 12 exhibited works can be found here.

BANg BANg Streaming

BANg BANg Streaming is a 2D tower defense game where you aim to become a streaming god using your own custom controller. It won the Grand Prix at the BitSummit Game Jam 2024.

This kind of large-scale controller is exactly the kind of thing you can only get from student-developed indie games, where they have flexible ideas and aren’t tied down by sales figures. With “touch” as its keyword, the game lets people of all ages enjoy movements similar to everyday experiences.

Dream Mayday

Dream Mayday is a two-player cooperative communication game where you work to solve anomalies through conversation. It was a BitSummit Game Jam Award 2025 winner.

Starting from the question “What kind of game has never been made before?”, this groundbreaking work uses two monitors and makes communication itself the control method. The two screens show completely different worlds—the dream world and the real world—so the trick to a high score is for players to actively talk and align their perceptions. For some members, the BitSummit Game Jam was their first time making a game as a team, and they told us about both the fun and the difficulty of the experience.

A big thank you to team leader Rei Imamura (https://x.com/R_IMAMURA0002) and programming lead Yoshimasa Tanahashi (https://tanahashi415.github.io/) for talking with us!

YaoyoroZoo

YaoyoroZoo is a 2D action game where the player’s facial expressions are the key. It was a finalist at the “Kami-Ge Creator Evolution 2025.”

In addition to traditional controls, you aim to clear stages using a novel control scheme: controlling in-game gimmicks with your facial expressions. You move various gimmicks by blinking or opening your mouth at the webcam. “Through this exhibition, I’m really interested to see from what perspective players will evaluate the game we made”, explained the programmer, samirin33 (https://x.com/samirin33). It seemed that the feedback samirin33 got from visitors playing the game was a major source of motivation for their game development.

Score attack tournament held using student-made games

In addition to the exhibits, a score attack tournament was held on the venue’s big screen. When we were there, a tournament for Wasshoi! Kamiokoshi was underway.

The student developers themselves provided live commentary, and a few people who just happened to be there competed for the high score. The supectators burst into applause every time there was a great play, making it feel just like an esports tournament.

Expanding experience and a glimpse of young talent’s potential

This event provided an experience that student exhibitors could only get at the “Game Jam Volunteer Exhibition in Kyoto”: face-to-face interaction. By having visitors of all ages and nationalities play their games, see their expressions, and give feedback on the spot, this exhibition undoubtedly served as an extension of BitSummit, contributing to the development of young talent.

It also deepened our understanding of the value that manga and games share as “experiential” media. The experience of touching a custom controller, the experience of moving gimmicks with your face, the experience of controlling a game through conversation. These can all be seen as modern-day expansions of the immersive experiences that manga first provided. This event was a discovery of how the medium of games can broaden the freedom of experience when technology is combined with the flexible ideas of students.