Indonesia mulls over video game curbs after Jakarta school blast
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Bomb squad officers at the entrance of a school in Jakarta on Nov 7, where close to 100 people were injured in an explosion at the school mosque.
PHOTO: AFP
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JAKARTA - Indonesia is weighing restrictions on video games like PUBG following a school blast in Jakarta that injured nearly a hundred people
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto ordered his Cabinet to look into such measures after receiving updates about the police investigation into the act, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi told reporters in Jakarta on Nov 9.
Developed by South Korea’s Krafton Inc, PUBG: Battlegrounds is an online multiplayer shooting game that popularised the battle royale genre alongside games such as Fortnite and Free Fire.
When asked for examples of games that may be subject to the new curbs, Mr Prasetyo named only the South Korean title, whose PUBG Mobile, created in partnership with Tencent Holdings, is popular in Indonesia.
“We’re thinking about restrictions because, in these games, there are many different kinds of weapons. It’s easy to learn. And, psychologically, it makes violence a normal thing,” he said, without elaborating on the forms of restrictions being contemplated.
Krafton representatives were not immediately reachable, and Tencent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Close to 100 people were injured in an explosion at a school mosque in north Jakarta on Nov 7 just as people were gathering for regular prayers. The authorities are investigating a student’s alleged involvement in the blast. BLOOMBERG
