National Gaming Industry Has Great Potential for Economic Growth

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The Indonesian gaming industry has great potential to support national economic growth. However, the sector has not yet received full government attention, despite the existence of Presidential Regulation No. 19/2024 on the Acceleration of the Gaming Industry.

“This Presidential Regulation outlines programs for human resource development as well as the strengthening of regulations regarding game competencies and classifications,” said an economist from the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), Andri Satrio Nugroho, in a written statement on Friday, May 29, 2026.

However, the gaming industry has yet to receive fiscal incentives or special funding policies, particularly those directly aimed at strengthening the national gaming industry.

According to Andri, the main challenges facing the gaming industry still revolve around limited funding to cover high production costs. Other issues include low monetization, a shortage of specialized gaming talent, and rampant piracy.

“The development of the gaming industry has the potential to increase Indonesia’s GDP by IDR 35.07–71.04 trillion (USD 1.96 billion–3.98 billion). Additionally, it could create 29,400–69,100 direct jobs and 1.03 million indirect jobs,” said Andri.

Beyond generating direct economic value, the gaming industry also drives the growth of other digital ecosystems, such as esports, content creators, streaming platforms, and the entertainment industry.

Globally, the esports industry is projected to grow from USD 3.2 billion in 2025 to USD 25 billion by 2035. In 2025, Indonesia’s gaming market is valued at IDR 33.6 trillion with 154 million players.

This figure makes Indonesia the largest gaming market in Southeast Asia. Globally, Indonesia ranks 15th.

“Despite having a large market share, local game developers in the domestic market remain scarce. Furthermore, the majority of the economic benefits still flow overseas,” said Andri. (Gusti Panji/EN)