Online Game Rating System in Indonesia (IGRS)

With the release of the Indonesian Game Rating System as the official name and also known as the IGRS or Indonesia Game Rating System in May 2021, Indonesia finally has a system that will help parents, or even gamers themselves, to get game content that is appropriate for their age.

In developed countries such as the European Union or East Asia where the game industry is very advanced, one of the game rating standards is called the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board). This system separates game types into 7 different categories, namely Early Childhood, Everyone, Everyone 10+, Teen, Mature, Adults Only, and Rating Pending.

Through the existing official circular letter, the classification itself has finally been determined. Indonesia will divide the game rating system into five age groups: 3 years old, 7 year old, 13 year old, 18 year old and all ages. The distribution of game ratings is regulated by the Regulation of the Minister of Communication and Information of the Republic of Indonesia Number 11 of 2021, concerning the classification of electronic interactive games.

Despite the increasingly popular status of video games, Indonesia is not a country that counts.”care” with the gaming industry itself. In contrast to other countries that may make it a mainstay creative product or start using it as part of the education system for a fun teaching and learning process.

Indonesia still has a long way to go to start making video games an industry that deserves a little attention. But actually, that doesn’t mean we don’t have encouraging progress. After being asked for a long time, through the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, our beloved country is finally ready to have a Rating Game system that regulates the details of its own video games! The things that can be included in the game for a specific age group are also finally released, along with their classification.

Age Group 3 Years (Or More)

The age group of 3-6 years, actually children are very vulnerable to things that smell like games, they are still too fast if not supervised by parents closely. Many games that should not be intended by them but become daily consumption due to lack of supervision. In this game you can say it is very safe to be played by any group. And not a few games in this category are games that are light in nature, which are only played to kill boredom in spare time.

• Showing the conditions of parental assistance
• Not showing violence
• Does not contain gambling simulation
• Does not display sexual perversion
• No display of blood, mutilation and cannibalism
• Do not use abusive language, swearing, and/or adult humor
• Does not feature a human-like character that shows genitals, breasts, or buttocks
• Do not show scenes with the aim of causing sexual desire
• Does not contain horror that seeks to cause feelings of extreme horror and/or fear
• Does not have online interaction facilities in the form of conversations, multiplayer, and data exchange; and/or
• Does not show writing or pictures related to cigarettes, liquor, and narcotics, psychotropic substances, and other addictive substances

Age Group 7 Years (Or More)

The age group 7-12 is more able to choose any game that is attractive to them, even in this group the games that are played have been divided specifically for their respective genders. For example, a boy tends to play games that really emphasize adrenaline, when compared to games that are liked by girls which feature games that are the opposite of that.

• Not showing violence
• Does not contain gambling simulation
• Does not display sexual perversion
• Does not display mutilation, cannibalism, and the element of blood displayed does not resemble the color of real blood;
• Do not use abusive language, swearing, and/or adult humor
• Does not display human-like characters that show genitals, breasts, or buttocks
• Do not show scenes with the aim of causing sexual desire
• Does not contain horror that seeks to cause feelings of extreme horror and/or fear
• Does not have online interaction facilities in the form of conversations, multiplayer, and data exchange; and/or
• Does not have interaction facilities in the network in the form of conversations and exchange of personal data
• Does not show writing or pictures related to cigarettes, liquor, and narcotics, psychotropic substances, and other addictive substances

Age Group 13 Years (Or More)

At the age of 13-17 years, gamers tend to have more adequate filters. Most of them play more games because their peers play the same type of games. So basically games are one of the ways these children socialize with their friends.

• The content contained in the product does not display sexual deviation
• A small part of some scenes or pictures on Electronic Interactive Game products show writings or pictures related to cigarettes, liquor, and narcotics, psychotropics, and other addictive substances not on the main character
• The content contained in the product displays elements of violence which are only limited to animated characters who can resemble humans but do not commit violent violence accompanied by hatred, anger, and/or the use of weapons that do not resemble realistic weapons.
• The content contained in the product does not display mutilation and cannibalism in humans, but may display elements of blood
• The content contained in the product does not contain adult humor and/or does not have a sexual connotation
• The content contained in the product does not feature a human-like character showing the genitals, breasts, and/or buttocks
• The content contained in the product does not display or play sounds that can be connoted with sexual activity or violence
• The content contained in the product is not a gambling activity that can use real money or virtual money that can be exchanged for real money
• The content contained in the product contains horror that seeks to cause feelings of extreme horror and/or fear
• Electronic Interactive Game Products can have online interaction facilities in the form of conversations, provided that they must have a filtering feature of abusive language, swearing, and/or sexual terms; and/or
• Electronic Interactive Game Products can facilitate interaction in the network in the form of exchanging personal data, provided that the personal data owner’s consent must be agreed

Age Group 18 Years (Or More)

At the age of 18 and beyond, gamers are considered adults and can be responsible for all the choices of games they play. Many games that are intended for this age range are very closely related to things that smell like violence and pornography. But not a few games that are very educational and can help in many ways.

• A small part of some scenes or pictures on Electronic Interactive Game Products shows writings or pictures related to cigarettes, liquor, and narcotics, psychotropics and other addictive substances on the main character
• The content contained in the product displays elements of violence in animated characters that can resemble humans
• The content contained in the product displays elements of blood, mutilation, and cannibalism
• The content contained in the product contains elements of adult humor with sexual connotations
• The content contained in the product does not feature a human-like character showing the genitals, breasts, and/or buttocks
• The content contained in the product does not display or play sounds that can be connoted with sexual activity and/or violence
• The content contained in the product is not a gambling activity that can use real money or virtual money that can be exchanged for real money
• Content contained in the product contains horror that seeks to cause feelings of horror and/or extreme fear; and/or
• Electronic Interactive Game Products have the facilitation of online interactions in the form of conversations, multiplayer, and/or financial transactions

Not Classified

In this classification, many games should not be played by children of any age. Most of these games violate the provisions of the applicable law, and tend to lead to illegal activities. But in general, this game is very much in demand by adults.

• Display and/or listen to pornography
• Contrary to the provisions of laws and regulations.
• Is a gambling activity that can use real money or virtual money that can be exchanged for real money: and/or

Although the procedure is still unclear, the organizers (in this case game publishers) are now required to register their games on the official website of the Indonesian Game Rating Agency (IGRS) by including a series of detailed information, not only descriptions but also short gameplay videos in it. .

It is still unknown whether this will also apply to foreign game publishers who are currently not tied to the Indonesian Game Rating System. The public is also given space to report, in this case to KPAI, if they find games that do not comply with this one provision.

What about Gamer’s own? What do you most expect from the birth of an Indonesian Game Rating System agency like IGRS?

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