Young Indonesian Game Developer: Mahdi Bashroni Rizal

It is undeniable that Indonesia’s game development advancement in recent years saw a promising growth. For such growth, we got game developers to thank. In the spirit of Youth Pledge Day on October 28^th, 2013, Duniaku present you special featured articles on young game developers in Indonesia.

For the first round, we have Mahdi Bashroni Rizal, Game Producer of Square Enix Smileworks, formerly the CEO of Elven Games. Mahdi talk what Youth Pledge means to him and on what it feels like to be one of game developers in a top-notch studio game. So what are you waiting for? Let’s check it out!

Duniaku (D): What do you think about the meaning of Youth Pledge in such modern times like now?

Mahdi (M): The youth is the backbone of a nation, the ones with the spirit of revival, the future generation. Even our founding father, Bung Karno, once said, “Give me a thousand old men and I’ll pull Semeru out from its root. Give me ten youths, I’ll turn the whole world upside down.” The youth has infinite potential and the fighting spirit should always be immortalized, even in modern times like now. We have to work hard and to make sure that Indonesia’s hard-earned independence won’t be in vain.

D: As a game developer, what have you done to bring the Youth Pledge to life?

M: Up until now, I have developed many games, some see success in the market yet there are some that didn’t bring satisfying result. But that doesn’t prevent my fighting spirit from staying aflame, I take it as part of the process to be a better person and creator.

D: Being a game developer in such a huge game studio like Square Enix must have its upside down. What’s the most interesting one?

M: The upside part beats the downside part by miles, working for Square Enix gives me so many new experiences and allow me to introduce my creation in international game industry.

D: What is your biggest achievement that makes you really proud?

M: There are many prideful moments for me, one of it is that I was involved in The Adventure of Wanara development project, a massive project in Indonesia’s creative industry since it’s simultaneously produce a novel, interactive digital comic, game, and an animated series. I was involved in developing the game and the interactive digital comic for iOS and Android platform.

D: Any word for Indonesian youths that choose gaming world as a means to make Indonesia better?

M: Keep on making creation and never give up. The digital era where internet is everywhere made it easier for everyone to play a part in game industry and got into distribution channels like Apps Store. Show the world that we can make high-quality games and no less good from other country.

D: You must be having a dream that you wish will come true in the future. What is your biggest dream as a game developer?

M: I hope I can create a game that will still be remembered even by the next generations. Who has never heard of Final Fantasy or Super Mario? Even after more than a decade, those names are still in their fans’ heart. I’d like to be able to create a game like that.

D: Well, thanks for your time and we wish you more success in the future!