Indonesian Tourism Ministry Turns to Games to Support Covid-19 Socialization Efforts

 KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian Tourism Ministry is turning to games as it supports nationwide socialization efforts to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic.

To kickstart their effort, the Indonesian Tourism Ministry has launched the Local Games Creative Indonesia 2020 or also known as Gelora 2020.

The program is part of the government’s stimulus toward the creative industry.

Read also: Ministry of Tourism’s #BeliKreatifLokal Campaign to Support SMEs

The ministry is looking to partner with Indonesia’s creative minds and companies while harnessing the use of games to raise awareness on the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

The Covid-19 socialization effort is, at the heart of it, to empower Indonesian creatives to come up with innovative games.

Since the announcement of the initiative, the Indonesian Tourism Ministry has received a positive response among Indonesia’s game developers and publishers.

Read also: Anies Baswedan: Coronavirus Pandemic Shows Benefits of Digital Technology

A supporter of the initiative is Indonesian game developer and publisher Megaxus Infotech.

The company has underlined its full support towards the Gelora 2020 initiative as evident in the mobile game that it is currently developing.

Additional support and participation come from the Technology for Indonesia Foundation which has already released a mobile game.

The game called ‘Dawn of Civilization, Game for Charity’ is a free educational game developed by Solve Education! Indonesia.

The game invites kids to learn about the dangers of the Covid-19 virus, raises awareness of hoaxes while spreading the message on protecting the environment and themselves.

Director of Film, Television, and Animation Creative Industry at the Indonesian Tourism Ministry, Syaifullah, hopes that the outcome of Gelora 2020 will aid in the government’s Covid-19 socialization efforts.

“If it is well received then hopefully in the future, this program will continue and that games will be used as a common medium for getting a message across among Indonesian society,” said Syaifullah.

Business as usual

Indonesia’s central government is working with the business community to enforce important health protocols as the country struggles to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Indonesia surpassed Singapore’s tally which previously had ASEAN’s highest number of coronavirus cases.

Read also: Indonesia’s Covid-19 Cases Officially Highest in ASEAN

In Jakarta, where the city is continuing its new normal transition, companies and mall operators are subject to hefty fines for weak compliance to coronavirus-related health protocols.

The sanctions range between Rp 25 million and Rp 50 million, according to the Head of the Jakarta Manpower, Transmigration, and Energy Agency, Andri Yansyah.

Read also: Follow Health Protocols or Face Up To Rp50M Fine, Jakarta Business Owners Told

The Jakarta provincial government is working closely with the Indonesian Employers Association and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce to address possible health protocol violations. 

(Writer: Maria Arimbi Haryas Prabawanti) 

Source: https://kilaskementerian.kompas.com/kemenparekraf/read/2020/06/16/192218027/sosialisasikan-covid-19-lewat-game-kemenparekraf-fasilitasi-7-pengembang-game