Kemkomdigi to Hold Meeting with Steam Regarding Implementation of IGRS
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Kemkomdigi) will hold a virtual meeting with Steam representatives to discuss the implementation of the Indonesia Game Rating System (IGRS), Indonesia’s online game classification system.
The ministry scheduled the meeting with Steam representatives after the inclusion of IGRS rating labels on games on the platform drew attention from social media users.
“So, tomorrow we will have a Zoom meeting. There might be clarification from Steam’s side to explain the issues on their end,” said Director of Digital Ecosystem Development at Kemkomdigi, Sonny Hendra Sudaryana, at the ministry’s office in Central Jakarta on Monday.
According to him, Steam is still trialling the implementation of IGRS ratings on its platform.
However, instead of reporting the assessment results to Kemkomdigi, Steam directly displayed IGRS ratings on games on its platform without undergoing government verification.
Sonny stated that the IGRS rating labels temporarily displayed on games on the Steam platform were the result of the platform’s self-assessment, which had not been verified by the government.
He noted that there was internal miscommunication regarding the direct inclusion of IGRS rating labels on games on the Steam platform.
He conveyed that official game ratings are displayed in the list on the official IGRS website.
Sonny said that Steam and Kemkomdigi do not yet have a memorandum of understanding and have not integrated systems regarding the implementation of the game classification system.
“We were actually going to meet in May for the MoU process (memorandum of understanding). Only after the MoU will the API be connected (the system),” he said.
Sonny mentioned that Steam has apologised for the issue of including IGRS rating labels on games on its platform.
Steam has also removed the IGRS labels from games on its platform and reverted to using the international rating system.
Kemkomdigi targets the preparation for IGRS implementation and system integration with all game distribution platforms to be completed by June 2026.
IGRS is an age-based classification system for video games distributed in Indonesia.
Kemkomdigi launched the system to protect children from inappropriate content, such as violence or adult-themed content, and to provide guidance for parents in selecting age-appropriate games.
IGRS classifies games into categories: 3+, 7+, 13+, 15+, and 18+.
Although referencing international standards in designing the system, the government applies a more conservative assessment aligned with Indonesia’s cultural values and norms.
“For example, with revealing clothing, it might be rated 15 years old abroad, but in Indonesia it’s 18,” said Sonny.
“For instance, alcohol or drug use, in Indonesia it’s 18 years old whereas in Europe it’s 15. So the difference is just two years; Indonesia is more conservative,” he added.
Sonny also stated that games containing pornography and gambling elements are prohibited from circulating in Indonesia.
“If it contains open pornography, gambling, cash out, that’s not suitable for rating. So it cannot circulate here. It’s the same as our general blocking,” said Sonny.
In addition to implementing IGRS, the government will join the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) so that domestic game developers do not need to undergo re-certification if they want to market their products abroad, and vice versa.