Esports becomes the central pillar of Jakarta’s global smart city vision

Story Highlights

Jakarta is positioning esports as a core pillar of its creative economy and digital city roadmap.
Major events like M7 and WCG 2025 are being used to cement the city’s status as a regional tech leader.
The city is leveraging smart infrastructure to support a sustainable ecosystem for local gaming talent.

Jakarta, Indonesia is a city that’s rapidly changing, and that includes its digital world. While covering the MLBB M7 World Championship, I spoke with Raymond Stefanus, a leader at the Jakarta Provincial Creative Economy and Tourism Office. What I thought would be a simple greeting turned into a really interesting conversation about the city’s future. It’s clear the local government sees gaming as much more than just a pastime – it’s a key part of their plan to turn Jakarta into a leading global smart city.

Raymond pointed out that Jakarta isn’t simply holding an esports tournament; they’re making the industry a core part of what defines the city. He described Jakarta as a rapidly evolving, digitally-focused global hub, and explained that they view esports as a key industry for driving innovation and connecting with young people.

The impressive numbers explain all the attention. With over 1.3 billion players worldwide and nearly 117 million hours of viewing for the Indonesian league, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and MPL Indonesia are simply too big to overlook.

As a huge fan of Jakarta, I’ve always felt it’s a city that really gets things done – it’s a major hub for business, a place where everyone’s connected online, and it’s definitely putting Indonesia on the map! It’s a really powerful and visible city.

The Indonesian city is shaping a youth-friendly tech environment

A key finding was how the Indonesian city successfully combines a thriving creative sector with modern smart city technology. According to Raymond, esports perfectly exemplifies this connection, sitting at the heart of both worlds.

Creatively, it powers game development and content creation. When it comes to building smart cities, it’s all about embracing new digital technologies, intelligent infrastructure, and communities connected through technology.

Professional gamers and everyday people using modern technology actually have very similar needs when it comes to fast, reliable connections. Events like ‘Jakarta Esport: New Heights 2025’ and the ‘Jakarta Game Expo’ are helping to build and maintain a thriving environment for everyone involved.

Jakarta is actively promoting its gaming vision on the world stage, participating in events like the Tokyo Game Show and Gamescom. According to Raymond, the city sees international partnerships as vital for sharing knowledge and improving its capabilities in the gaming industry.

Jakarta is demonstrating its ability to draw international esports competitors and fans by hosting both the M7 World Championship and the upcoming World Cyber Games (WCG) 2025 Festival. These events highlight the city’s commitment to building its brand and promoting creative tourism.

This plan focuses on the future. By investing in esports, Jakarta aims to be known as a forward-thinking, modern city that appeals to young people. It also creates genuine job opportunities for Gen Z and Millennials in the growing digital world.

Watching the games at M7, it’s clear the exciting atmosphere here reflects the kind of energy the city hopes to create as it develops its plans for a more technologically advanced future.

The Indonesian city is shaping a youth-friendly tech environment

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