Government Bans Pokemon GO: A Game Story Considered Threatening State Secrets

Poster of the game Pokemon GO. (Popemongo.com)

JAKARTA - The appearance of the Pokemon GO mobile game had shocked the world, then Indonesia. The interest is piled up. Pocket Monsters hunting games are a favorite of young people to old people. Gamers are invited to move through every corner of the city.

They are looking for Pokemons such as Pikachu to Bulbasaur. However, the Indonesian government sees it different. Pokemon hunting games are considered like a threat. Pokemon GO players are considered to be able to smooth out acts of espionage threatening state secrets.

The development of the mobile game market cannot be underestimated. Active users are piled up. This condition made game developers continue to struggle to present games that attracted the interest of many people. Niantic didn't want to lose.

The smartphone game developer from the United States is trying to start a trail as a top-flight game developer. The latest work he released in 2016 was Pokemon GO. A game adapted from the Pokemon franchise from Japan.

The game then shocked the world. People struggle to bring Pokemon GO games into their respective phones. They then act as pokemon coaches. That is, they are required to move outside the house looking for and training the desired Pokemon.

Developers have also placed pokemons throughout the city. Some are in tourist sites. Some are located in entertainment centers. The types of pokemons that can be captured also vary -- water types, electricity, and fires.

Players can also interact with other Pokemon GO players. In fact, some players actually make a Pokemon hunting schedule together. Players can all take a walk to explore the interesting places in the city.

Pokemon GO is unique.Gameini demands that its players leave the house for Pokemon hunting. These cute monsters are scattered in various locations using augmented reality technology projecting virtual objects to real-time real objects.

"Players not only respond to Pokemon, but also complain about dexterity in the game. The dynasium is usually in the form of public places, such as parks or mosques. There is also a super strong Pokemon that can only be defeated by attacking with other players. The term israid. These demands encourage Pokemon GO fans to play together, "said Reza Maulana in his article in Tempo magazine entitledPokemon GO After Six Years (2022).

The presence of Pokemon GO received a positive response. Pokemon GO is considered a healthy game. Pokemon GO is a game played outdoors. It's different from games that are mostly only enjoyed without leaving the house and moving.

A different response was actually present from the Indonesian government. The owner of power considers Pokemon GO to be a dangerous game. This view emerged from Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) considers the game to be able to interfere with national security for a long time.

Ryamizard Ryacudu also emphasized the same thing. The Minister of Defense believes that the game that uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) and cameras brings danger to the country. This condition is because both features are considered to be able to be used as an intruder as a means of espionage.

Both of them did remind their users to be careful. However, it has not yet reached the prohibition stage. However, Yuddy Chrisnandi is different himself. The Minister of Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform (Menpan RB) considers Pokemon GO to be prohibited.

The ban is not on the ban on games in general. However, players are prohibited from playing in the office area of government agencies. State civil servants are prohibited from playing. The ban was carried out because Pokemon GO was considered capable of creating state secrets on July 20, 2016.

The prohibition was issued through the official letter of Menpan RB Number B/2555/M.PANRB/07/2016. The prohibition was also followed by a ban on playing Pokemon for soldiers and police. The game is considered prohibited to be played in the territory of the Indonesian National Police, the Navy, and the Secretariat of the Presidential Palace.

Yuddy considers the ban to be carried out not only because of his personal or institutional views. However, Yuddy has received a direct report regarding the dangers of Pokemon GO from the State Intilejen Agency (BIN).

"It has been given a signal by BIN that Pokemon can endanger the confidentiality of government installations. There are also similar complaints in various places from the heads of work units, local officials, if it disturbs concentration and has security and confidentiality vulnerabilities".

"(The circular) applies to all state apparatus not to play GPS-based virtual games within the internal government office environment. So the reason is for security and confidentiality," said Yuddy as quoted by the CNN Indonesia page, July 22, 2016.