Game Art Project "CÔGEIMU" Prototype Launch Exhibition to Be Held on November 15
Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/991/G999110/20251104049/
Editorial Department: Chihiro | 2025/11/04 12:31 (UTC)
ars●bit (Arsobit) will host the new game art project “CÔGEIMU (Co-Geimu)” Prototype Showcase Exhibition on November 15, 2025, at 404 Not Found in Shibuya, Tokyo. Admission is free and entry/exit is unrestricted.
This project explores the potential of video games as art pieces through collaboration between sculpture and video games.
At the venue, a prototype of “CÔGEIMU”—a game developed by game producer and director Kamienā within sculptural works crafted by metalsmith Ryo Saito—is on display, along with past collaborative works by both artists.
Additionally, a talk session titled “Game Art Talk” will be held. Please note that registration via Peatix is required to attend this event.
Official X (formerly Twitter) of ars●bit
＜The following content is directly copied from the official press release＞
Unveiling new possibilities in game art by combining games and sculpture. ars●bit presents its Game Art Project “CÔGEIMU” Prototype Showcase Exhibition & Talk Session on November 15, free to attend.
Beyond Creators Project “ars●bit (Arsobit)” will hold the new game art project “CÔGEIMU (Co-Geimu)” Prototype Showcase Exhibition on November 15, 2025, at 404 Not Found in Shibuya, Tokyo.
“CÔGEIMU” is a project that investigates how far video games can be expressed as works of art through collaboration between sculpture and video games.
This exhibition will feature both artwork displays and talk sessions. Participation is free; however, prior registration via Peatix is required for the talk session.
At this event, we present a new game art work created collaboratively by three members of ars●bit’s development program: metalsmith Ryo Saito, game producer/director Kamienā, and programmer Takashi Kaneko. The project offers an innovative experience merging games and sculpture.
As an experimental artistic form that dissolves the boundaries between art and games, this work visualizes human inner emotions, memories, and thought structures through interactive experiences. Furthermore, by openly sharing its development process, the project aims to deepen understanding of challenges involved in integrating games and art, striving toward continued evolution of the artwork.
In the talk session, participants will discuss insights and challenges encountered during the “CÔGEIMU” development process, as well as explore whether game art can successfully enter contemporary art markets.
We have invited Ryo Saito (metalsmith), Kamienā (game producer/director), curator Yosuke Takahashi, and Professor Hiroshi Yoshida from the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences at The University of Tokyo—project mentor and leading researcher in game studies—for participation.
Exhibition Works
Exhibit (1): [ars●bit] GameArt Project “CÔGEIMU” Prototype Display
An art case under development. Thumbnail image No.002 / Game Art Project “CÔGEIMU (Co-Geimu) Prototype Showcase Exhibition, to be held on November 15
The “CÔGEIMU (Co-Geimu)” prototype being showcased at this event features a game developed by Kamienā, the game producer/director, embedded inside sculptural works crafted by metalsmith Ryo Saito.
Gameplay screenshot in development. The scene unfolds within the sculpture’s eye. Thumbnail image No.003 / Game Art Project “CÔGEIMU (Co-Geimu) Prototype Showcase Exhibition, to be held on November 15
This work features a monitor embedded within the eye of the sculpture, creating an experience where players look into it as if peering through.
The concept expands on traditional art appreciation by transforming viewing into active gameplay—shifting the experience from “observation” to “introspection.”
Gameplay screenshot Thumbnail image No.004 / Game Art Project “CÔGEIMU (Co-Geimu) Prototype Showcase Exhibition, to be held on November 15 Thumbnail image No.005 / Game Art Project “CÔGEIMU (Co-Geimu) Prototype Showcase Exhibition, to be held on November 15
Exhibit (2): Past Works by the Creators
This exhibition will also feature past works by Saito and Kamienā. (Since no physical artworks by Saito are currently available, video presentations will be used.)
The context behind their previous creations—leading to this current “CÔGEIMU” project—is also explored.
Talk Session
Game Art Talk (1):
Progress Update & Insights and Challenges in Development Process
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Speakers:
- Ryo Saito (Metalsmith)
- Kamienā (Game Producer/Director)
- Takashi Kaneko (Programmer)
- Moderator: Takehisa Ishikawa
“CÔGEIMU” is an experimental creative process that involves dialogue between artist and game director. In this session, we will share insights, conflicts, fusion, and doubts arising from different perspectives shaping the same work.
Based on early-stage prototypes, we’ll open up real-time thinking behind core challenges: balancing rule design with artistic concept; exploring new expressive possibilities constrained by technology; and how to elevate player experience into artwork itself.
This session records the moment when the creative process becomes art in itself—a practice that questions the future of “Art × Game” for next-generation creators.
Game Art Talk (2):
Possibilities and Challenges: Market Entry of Game Art as an Artwork
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Speakers:
- Ryo Saito (Metalsmith)
- Kamienā (Game Producer/Director)
- Takashi Kaneko (Programmer)
- Yosuke Takahashi (Curator)
- Hiroshi Yoshida (Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Tokyo)
- Moderator: Takehisa Ishikawa
As digital expression expands the boundaries of art, can “games” become legitimate new artworks?
This session brings together practitioners experienced in both art and games to discuss how game artworks might enter social, economic, and cultural markets. Against the backdrop of NFTs and media arts redefining ownership, viewing, and experience, we will explore how interactive nature, temporality, and communal aspects of game art can be redefined.
We’ll also examine mechanisms for exhibiting, selling, and sustainably nurturing artworks—along with possibilities to connect with international art fairs and collector markets.
In an era when art is shifting from “static objects” to “experiences,” how can games emerge as living works of art within this context?
This talk session serves as a speculative exploration into that future.
Participants & Speakers Introduction
Thumbnail image No.006 / Game Art Project “CÔGEIMU (Co-Geimu) Prototype Showcase Exhibition, to be held on November 15
Kamienā (Game Producer/Director)
※ Program participant of “ars●bit” project
An indie game creator who views craftsmanship not only in creation but also in delivery. Skilled at team-based production, Kamienā takes on diverse roles including direction, production, planning, scriptwriting, programming, and illustration. Since student days, they’ve maintained broad interests in making things, with particular strengths in multidimensional thinking about playfulness and creating kawaii-style works accessible to all genders.
Comment:
In this project, I’ve sensed a new possibility—creating one-of-a-kind physical artworks without being bound by hardware or input device constraints. This differs from traditional game development based on data replication. In art appreciation, we tend to “peer into” the inner thoughts and experiences behind an object’s surface.
Here, I aim to transform that sensation into gameplay—an experience of exploring the artwork’s interior.
I’m also inspired by attempts in Japan to merge games with traditional metal arts. The image of a metalsmith hammering metal slowly shaping its form embodies soulful creation—aligning with Japanese Shinto beliefs that “objects are inhabited by spirits.” This theme informs our project.
Moreover, games are interactive artworks where stories and experiences unfold through player choices and actions. Beyond digital assets like visuals or music, this work seeks to explore how the “experience” and “memories” built between user and artwork can become part of art itself.
Thumbnail image No.007 / Game Art Project “CÔGEIMU (Co-Geimu) Prototype Showcase Exhibition, to be held on November 15
Ryo Saito (Metalsmith)
※ Program participant of “ars●bit” project
Primarily creates armor-style artworks based on themes of pride and prayer, using traditional Japanese forging and engraving techniques. Works with various materials including silver, copper, brass, and iron. Born in 1989. Completed the Master’s program in Metalwork at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts (2016). Exhibited at “Material Transmutation – Beyond the Material” (Gifu Prefectural Museum of Art, 2021), “BIWAKO BIENMALE” (彦根市, 2022), and “Modern Super-Skills No.2” at Sunday Art Gallery (2023), among others.
Comment:
I see games as a comprehensive art form that invites players deeply into their world by combining moving images, text, sound, time, and player interaction. While high completion across all elements is required, achieving harmony between them proves most difficult. Moreover, in this project, the game’s external casing plays a crucial role in shaping its world.
As the primary creator of this casing, I must ensure it functions both as an independent artwork and as an artistic gateway into the game world—a new challenge for metalwork.
In my personal practice, I constantly explore new techniques, motifs, and skill development. Collaborative creation introduces themes and ideas beyond my usual scope—fascinating when integrating these elements with my own worldview to produce meaningful works. Ultimately, I hope this fusion of game content leads players to new experiences.
Thumbnail image No.008 / Game Art Project “CÔGEIMU (Co-Geimu) Prototype Showcase Exhibition, to be held on November 15
Takashi Kaneko (Programmer)
An art and game creator whose goal is “creating a page of Japanese culture.” After two years of social withdrawal following high school, he found inspiration in games, traditional Japanese art, and anime—deciding to become a creator. Self-taught in programming and 3DCG, currently involved in artwork creation with an art collective based in Tokyo.
Comment:
Through programming, I’ve pursued the logical aesthetics born from meticulously calculated structures rather than organic randomness. Engaging with analog processes like forging after digital production revealed new possibilities—merging analog input/output with purely digital signals.
While currently focused on digital inputs/outputs, I plan to challenge interactive systems incorporating organic, unpredictable inputs. This will allow us to experience scenarios that never repeat and the uncontrollable nature of human interaction—a powerful expressive potential.
I believe the key difference between games and art lies in whether success or failure is clearly defined. Yet, responses to a work vary greatly depending on the viewer’s mindset and experiences—whether they interpret “failure” as an experience or perceive it negatively. Art reflects the inner world of its audience. Similarly, reactions to artworks are highly subjective. The most valuable essence gained through art experience lies in deepening self-understanding or sparking new perspectives. I’ve realized that this introspective value is shared by both games and art.
Talk Guests
Thumbnail image No.009 / Game Art Project “CÔGEIMU (Co-Geimu) Prototype Showcase Exhibition, to be held on November 15
Yosuke Takahashi (Curator)
※ Program participant of “ars●bit” project
Former Chief Curator at Kanazawa 21st Century Museum, and former curator at Kadokawa Musashino Museum. Currently serving as curator at GYRE in Omotesando, member of the Molecular Robotics Ethics Research Group, and lecturer at Kyoto University of Art & Design. His research focuses on “art after the demise of modern humanism,” primarily exploring relationships between technology and art since the 1990s.
Thumbnail image No.010 / Game Art Project “CÔGEIMU (Co-Geimu) Prototype Showcase Exhibition, to be held on November 15
Hiroshi Yoshida (Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Tokyo)
※ Project mentor for “ars●bit”
An expert in aesthetics, sensory studies, and representation culture. A pioneer in digital game research, conducting aesthetic analysis of games.
Event Overview
Event Title:
[ars●bit] GameArt Project
“CÔGEIMU” Prototype Showcase Exhibition & Game Art Talk
Date: November 15, 2025 (13:00 – 21:00)
- Exhibition & Experience: 13:00 – 18:00 (no registration required; free entry and exit)
- Game Art Talk: 18:00 – 20:00 (registration required)
- Networking Event: 20:00 – 21:00 (for registered attendees only)
Venue: 404 Not Found (4th Floor, Shibuya Sakura Stage)
Admission Fee: Free
For Game Art Talk participation:
Only the talk session requires registration via Peatix.
https://arsobit-gameart-talk01.peatix.com
Additionally, attendees of the talk are required to purchase a drink at the venue.
The first part—exhibition and experience—is free with unrestricted entry and exit; visitors may freely explore throughout the event.