The Communications and Informatics Ministry is seeking to expedite the development of the national gaming industry while protecting its ecosystem, for instance, by holding the 2021 Indonesia Game Developer Exchange (IGDX), an official has said.
“We expect that IGDX with its mentoring and mixed-making business program can accelerate the improvement of the quality of the industry’s products and business as well as encourage collaboration among various stakeholders,” director general of informatics applications at the ministry, Semuel A. Pangerapan, said at the virtual closing of 2021 IGDX on Monday.
The IGDX was held in a hybrid format in Kuta, Bali.
The government has been striving to establish a technology and innovation ecosystem to help the national gaming industry develop and be able to dominate the domestic market, he added.
Furthermore, the Communication and Informatics Minister Regulation Number 11/2016 — on the classification of electronic interactive games or the Indonesia Game Rating System – is being revised to make all games circulating in Indonesia comply with the regulation, he informed.
“There is no exception for any games, even the imported ones, thus they will be in accordance with our rules and culture,” he remarked.
The ministry is also implementing a number of programs to encourage the establishment of a digital ecosystem and develop local digital talent through the National Digital Literacy Movement, Digital Talent Scholarship, and Smart Schools, he said.
Meanwhile, for digital start-ups, the ministry is providing training through the 1000 Start-up National Movement and Start-up Studio programs, as well as HUB.ID – an online platform created by the ministry to help improve local start-ups, Pangerapan said.
Specifically, for the gaming industry, the ministry is holding the IGDX program in collaboration with the Indonesian Game Association, Indigo Game Telkom, and Garena Indonesia, he added.
The government has assessed that there is great potential for the development of the national gaming ecosystem as the number of Internet users in Indonesia has currently reached 202.6 million, equivalent to 73 percent of the population, he noted.
Quoting research by global gaming market analyst Newzoo in 2020, the ministry said the economic value of gaming in Indonesia has reached US$1.7 billion.
However, local games only earned US$8 million, it added.
“We should be able to increase the number by producing new games which can be accepted by the national and global markets. We have to take over the market share dominated by imported games,” Pangerapan said.
Furthermore, there are several potential local games that have been inspired by Indonesian folktales, such as Dreadout and Battle of Satria Dewa, he added.
Source: Antara News