PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The Bandung City Government (Pemkot) together with the Bandung Game Developer Community will hold the Bandung Gaming Day (BGD) 2025 event on January 24-26, 2025 as a strategic step to spur the growth of the local gaming industry in Indonesia.

BGD will take place in two locations, Sumarecon Mall Bandung and Agate Studio, presenting two main agendas, namely the e-Sport Tournament and Global Game Jam, with the aim of strengthening the creative ecosystem of the city of Bandung.

Head of the Bandung City Youth and Sports Agency (Dispora), Eddy Marwoto, said that Bandung City has great potential in the gaming industry.

"Bandung is known as a creative city with many innovative young people. With Presidential Regulation No. 19 of 2024 concerning the development of local games, the government is committed to supporting this ecosystem, because in addition to having an impact on the economy, this sector also has the potential to increase Regional Original Income (PAD)," he said at the Bandung Menjawab event at Laneo Cafe & Eatery, Tuesday (21/1/2025)

Eddy said that the BGD event, which was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Creative Economy (Wamen Ekraf), aims to produce e-Sport athletes who will represent the City of Bandung in various events.

In addition, this activity is expected to motivate the emergence of more local developers in Bandung. Currently, there are around 30 active game developers in the city, with the potential to continue to grow.

This event is designed to find talent and promote local games through two main agendas:

1. e-Sport Tournament: A competition event for Bandung gamers to hone their skills. Registration is open from January 16-21, 2025, with the hope of finding new talents who can represent the city of Bandung.

2. Global Game Jam: A 48-hour non-stop challenge where participants will create a new game. Bandung is one of 12 cities in Indonesia participating in this international event, with the results of the participants' work being displayed on the last day of the event.

BGD is also expected to be a magnet for investors and part of the development of sports tourism. With the growing trend of games, Eddy is optimistic that this event will open up great opportunities for the city of Bandung to attract international attention.

"We believe this event can become an annual event. It's not just about competition, but also building networks and introducing local games to the world. Bandung has great potential to become the center of the gaming industry in Indonesia," he said.

Through this event, Eddy hopes that local games can contribute to the growth of the creative and digital economy in Indonesia.

"We want Bandung to be known not only as a tourist destination, but also as a center for local game innovation. In the long term, we are optimistic that this industry will have a positive impact on the economy," he said.

Bandung Game Developer Community Representative Dito Wangsa said that collaboration and support from the Bandung City Government can certainly improve the development of the local game industry in Bandung City.

"This collaboration is a big step for the gaming industry. The gaming industry is one of the largest sectors in the world, even bigger than the film and music industries. With government support, we are optimistic that local games will grow rapidly," he said. (Bandung City Communication and Information Service/UPI)