On June 29, 2024, EngageMedia participated in the Gamechanger: Games for Social Impact video game festival organised by Goethe-Institut Indonesien in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The event, held in collaboration with the Asosiasi Game Indonesia, Indonesian Women in Game, and The Lazy Monday, celebrated the Indonesian video gaming industry’s potential to raise awareness of social issues through entertaining and immersive gameplay.
At the festival, EngageMedia showcased the demo of Taksa: A Game on Disinformation, developed in partnership with IOTA Kreatif Media and Annas A. Aziz.
Drawing on research about disinformation and styled after the interactive storytelling approach of Netflix’s interactive film, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Taksa challenges players to reconsider whether individual critical thinking and digital literacy skills are truly sufficient to combat disinformation in an environment rife with widespread distrust of public institutions.
Role-playing as a single father during a pandemic, players must make critical decisions to find a cure for his daughter while managing social media influence and personal relationships. The game offers multiple routes and endings based on the player’s choices.
The EngageMedia booth attracted significant attention, with festival-goers praising Taksa for its engaging storyline and unique approach to the theme of disinformation—a subject rarely explored in Indonesian video games. Feedback from participants suggested improvements for the final version of the game, set for release on EngageMedia.org in August 2024.
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Pradipa P. Rasidi, EngageMedia’s Research and Digital Rights Project Coordinator for Indonesia leading the development of Taksa, emphasised the untapped potential of video gaming for civil society organisations. “Games allow players to empathise with social issues by placing them in a first-person perspective,” noted Pradipa. According to a 2022 report by We Are Social, Indonesia ranks third globally in the number of video game players, with 94.5% of internet users aged 16-64 playing video games.
“The festival is a crucial platform for gamers and developers from diverse backgrounds to share their passion for games and build networks,” said Stefan Dreyer, Director of Goethe-Institut for Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Gamechanger festival, attended by approximately 450 guests, also featured other notable games: A Space for the Unbound (Toge Productions & Mojiken), Pamali (Storytale), Samudra (Khayalan Arts), The Sun Shines Over Us (Eternal Dreams & Niji Games), Hello Goodboy (Rolling Glory Jam), Matchmaker Agency (MelonCat & Niji Games), and In the Days of My Life (Redamantine Studio).
The Indonesian video game industry has gained international recognition, exemplified by A Space for the Unbound being nominated for the “Games for Impact” category at The Game Awards 2023. As the industry continues to grow, events like the Gamechanger: Games for Social Impact serve as vital intersections for creativity, technology, and social advocacy, proving that video games can be a powerful medium for raising awareness and effecting change.
