Jakarta, April 2, 2024 – Asian Creative and Digital Economy Youth Summit (ACE-YS) once again held their monthly discussion event, Timeout Episode 2: Gaming Forward – Navigating Perpres no.19/2024, in collaboration with IGDX, which took place on March 28, 2024 at Semesta – Selaksa HQ, Jakarta.
In an event attended by 30 selected young people with diverse backgrounds from game practitioners, developers, game studios, to students, this Timeout became an important forum for them to dialogue with national game industry stakeholders.
The speakers at this event include representatives from the government, technology companies, mobile & PC game publishers, to independent game studios, who will provide a holistic view of the game industry in Indonesia. The speakers include Luat Sihombing (Program Coordinator for Game, Animation, and New Technology, Ministry of Communications and Informatics), Timothy Siddik (President Director, Zyrex), Aris Sudewo (CEO, Nuon Digital Indonesia), and Rachmad Imron (CEO, Digital Happiness).
The discussion started with an explanation from Luat Sihombing, Program Coordinator for Game, Animation, and New Technology, Ministry of Communications and Informatics, about the Indonesia Game Developer Exchange (IGDX), an annual event held by the Ministry of Communications and Informatics together with the Indonesian Game Association (AGI).
“From 2021 there are 87 game studios that we have provided mentoring. With 58 international and local mentors, and more than 1000 mentoring sessions that we have run for three years. The government is trying to help solve existing problems and is collaborative with game industry players. So it’s not done by the government alone, but in collaboration with all stakeholders here,” said Luat.
Following this, Timothy Siddik, President Director, Zyrex, highlighted Indonesia’s potential in the gaming industry, driven by growing demographics and demand for innovative games. He predicted opportunities for the development of more advanced and affordable gaming hardware in the next 5-10 years.
Zyrex, as a local Laptop, PC and Server manufacturer, is ambitious to be a pioneer in a market currently dominated by foreign brands. The tangible proof of this commitment is the launch of Zyrex Maveric, a gaming laptop with advanced AI technology, which marks Indonesia’s first step in competing in the gaming hardware market in Indonesia.
The discussion was also joined by Aris Sudewo, CEO, Nuon Digital Indonesia. As one of the mobile and PC game publishers, Aris explained the challenges and opportunities in the game industry in Indonesia. “As a party that has a responsibility to the public, we must work together with the government to be able to help the local game industry to be more advanced,” said Aris.
Aris also emphasized the importance of gamification and monetization in the mobile game business. However, Indonesia is still rare in terms of gamification and monetization capabilities in the game industry. Therefore, the issuance of Perpres No.19/2024 is expected to accelerate and support the implementation and execution of the acceleration of the game industry in Indonesia.
Another speaker who also gave his views in Timeout was Rachmad Imron, CEO, Digital Happiness, one of the independent game developers in Indonesia, creator of the DreadOut series. “Buying spending in the global audience tends to go down, but in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia, there is an increase even though it is not exponential,” Imron explained. He also expressed his hope that the Perpres will open up more opportunities for Indonesian youth to enter the game industry.
Liz Zeny Merry, Acting Assistant Deputy for Creative Economy Development of the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Kemenkomarves), said that she welcomed the initiative of young people in ACE-YS to gather industry stakeholders to sit together and learn each other’s perspectives. A holistic view is needed to know how each element in the national game industry can take their respective roles for the acceleration of the national game industry.
Timeout Episode 2 aims to provide a space for discussion on the next steps after the issuance of Perpres No.19/2024, as well as the impact it will have on the game industry in Indonesia. In addition, the event also aimed to discuss the role of young people in the development of the gaming industry, and how the ecosystem can facilitate their contributions.
Discussions at the event covered a wide range of topics, including the landscape of Indonesia’s game industry, the development of the national game industry, the government’s readiness to implement the regulation, and the challenges faced by game industry practitioners.
