List of Association/Community/Organization for Game Developers in Indonesia
If you’re new to the game industry and want to know about programs that can help you enhance your skills, build your network, and expand your job opportunities in the game industry, it’s essential to get to know the game associations and communities in Indonesia. By getting to know them, you can access various resources that will help your career in the future. There are different types of associations and communities, some for professionals, some for individuals, some specific to certain fields, and some regional. I’ll discuss the organizations I know about or have been involved with. If I miss any, I apologize.
GameDevID
GameDevID can be considered the oldest game developer community in Indonesia. Since the flash era, this community was born as a forum. Over time, GameDevID has evolved into a Facebook Group. Its members are quite free-spirited; anyone can join. You can join the Facebook Group via this link. And not just on Facebook, GDI now also has a Discord server. You can check out the GDI Discord here.
Regarding programs, there aren’t any routine or major programs. Most people gather here to discuss and network. But occasionally, you can keep an eye on the Discord for discussions in the SemakFM voice channel. Usually, Kris from Toge initiates these discussions.
Asosiasi Game Indonesia
The Indonesian Game Association (AGI) is an association for professional game developers and publishers. AGI was first established in 2013. From 2013 to 2016, the chair was Ko Andi from Lyto, from 2016–2019, it was Naren from Dicoding, and from 2019–2024, it’s Cipto from Agate. Since AGI is an association for professionals, you need to be a legal entity to become a member. If you’re interested in becoming a member, you can read more here. But don’t worry, AGI’s programs are always inclusive and never gatekept for AGI members only. So you can see various programs on AGI’s social media, especially through their Instagram here.
The biggest AGI programs are IGDX and GamePrime. Besides that, there are many other programs, both ad hoc and routine. There are so many that it’s hard to count how many programs AGI shares on their social media. So make sure to turn on notifications for AGI’s IG so you don’t miss out. One program to watch is the weekly webinar on AGI’s YouTube channel called Skill Tree. Watch various interesting topics related to game development here.
Indie Game Group Indonesia
Indie Game Group Indonesia is relatively new, initiated in 2022. IGGI was founded by local game industry players and is supported by Google. IGGI focuses more on nurturing new talents and studios. So, IGGI is a very suitable starting point if you’re new to the game industry. Currently, IGGI is chaired by Fadhil from Reima Studio. IGGI’s management model is also volunteer-based. Besides in Indonesia, there are also IGGs in other countries like Turkey, Vietnam, etc. Here’s a photo from when we were invited to Google’s office in Singapore for networking. In its very young age, IGGI already has a very large member base on its Discord, nearly 5000 members. Join the Discord to learn more about IGGI here.
What are IGGI’s programs? There are quite a few, but the biggest one is Gameseed. There are also programs supporting GameJam Plus, Global Game Jam, sharing sessions, mentoring, and many more. Don’t forget to follow their Instagram here.
Selasar Game Design
Now let’s talk about a community focused on a specific skill set: Game Design. Selasar Game Design is also relatively new and has quickly grown to over 1500 members. This is an open community, so anyone can join the Discord group to discuss game design. Join the SGD Discord channel here.
SGD has several routine programs. Some programs you can join include Sharing Sessions, Game Design Clinic, Pitching Stage, and English Day. Learn more about SGD’s programs on their Instagram here.
UnityDevID
Next, still on communities related to hard skills, there’s UnityDevID. This community focuses on topics related to the Unity game engine. This community is on Facebook, and you can check it out here.
Manajemen Komunitas Game Indonesia
Another active community is MKGI. MKGI is a community where community managers from local game dev studios gather. Currently, communication is mostly via Discord channel, and entry is by referral only.
They have quite a few programs. Besides regular play sessions and member sharing sessions, MKGI often invites international speakers to share insights in their Discord channel.
Indonesia Women in Game
Next is an organization focused on women working in the game industry, called Indonesia Women in Game (IWIG). IWIG is currently chaired by Mrs. Riris from Game Changer Studio. IWIG has a Discord server where members can discuss. Joining is easy; you just need to work in the game industry and be a woman, then you can join their Discord server here.
IWIG has numerous programs. There’s the IWIG Leader Summit held at IGDX and supported by Xbox, frequent sharing sessions on their Discord channel, and more. Follow their Instagram here to keep up with their programs.
Local Game Dev Communities
It’s also interesting to follow local game dev communities focused on their respective cities. Some very active regional communities include GameDev Bandung, GameDev Tangerang, GameDev Malang, GameDev Bogor, GameDev Batam, Gadas (Surabaya), and Gamelan (Jogja). These local communities usually have WhatsApp groups or Discord servers for communication and often organize meetups. One annual program that these local game dev communities always hold is the Global Game Jam. They usually set up jam sites for game developers in their respective cities.
Those are some associations, communities, or organizations you can join if you want to dive deeper into the game industry in Indonesia. If I missed any, feel free to add them in the comments. Just make sure they have active members and programs or activities ;)
