The gaming and animation industry has great potential to boost the economy, as Indonesia is one of the largest markets of the global industry, the industry association has said according to a kompas.com report recently.
Indonesian Animation and Creative Industry Association (AINIKI) chairman Ardian Elkana was citing the results of a survey from gaming market researcher Newzoo, which ranked Indonesia as the second largest gaming market in the Southeast Asia after Thailand and the 16th largest in the world this year.
With 43.7 million active gamers, Indonesia earned US$879.7 million in revenues from the industry this year, while the industry’s worldwide revenues was an estimated $94.4 billion, Ardian added.
China, the United States and Japan are the top players in the gaming industry.
The gaming and animation industry was a cost-efficient business, because manufacturers did not require a large space, Ardian said. “We also don’t need customer service or loading and unloading at ports, because [games] are expected through the internet,” he explained.
He advised the gaming industry to collaborate with other businesses, such as comics publishers and merchandise makers to boost profits.
He said the country’s video game producers also needed to feature the local cultures to introduce Indonesia to the world.
Meanwhile, the head of Bank Indonesia’s Jakarta office, Doni P. Joewono, said the gaming industry contributed 1.93 percent to the economy.
He expressed optimism that the industry could become a major economic contributor if creative industry players could explore their full potential.
