Government Response to Game Rating Inconsistencies on STEAM

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Digital is investigating discrepancies between age classifications and actual content in several games available on the Steam platform in Indonesia. These findings have the potential to cause confusion for parents in assessing the suitability of digital content for children.

As a follow-up, the Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Communication and Digital, is conducting a comprehensive investigation, examining both the classification mechanism on the platform and the game developers themselves, the source of the content.

This approach is being taken to ensure the root of the problem can be fully identified, encompassing the production, assessment, and distribution processes of the content. During this process, the Ministry of Communication and Digital and Steam are maintaining intensive communication to expedite classification and deepen the established classification system.

Both parties are also investigating content deemed inconsistencies between ratings and content, including taking necessary adjustments.

Director of Digital Ecosystem Development at the Directorate General of Digital Ecosystem of the Ministry, Sonny Hendra Sudaryana, affirmed that age classification is an important instrument in consumer protection, especially for children and adolescents. "The main goal of implementing the Indonesian Game Rating System (IGRS) is to provide parents with clear guidelines to ensure their children play games appropriate to their age," he explained in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.

He also said that the introduction of game age classification regulations is a significant breakthrough during the current administration. "After a long 10-year wait, we have finally succeeded in introducing regulations that provide protection and certainty for consumers and the gaming industry. Indonesia now has citizen protection standards on par with other countries," Sonny said.

As a swift mitigation measure, Steam has taken down the rating of the problematic game. This preventative measure is taken to prevent confusion or anxiety among the public, especially parents.