TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Rezi Apriliansyah is never far from his smartphone. Not only does he use it for calls and messaging, he also plays several games on it whenever he has free time. One of the games he plays is Flappy Bird, a simple mobile game in which the player must navigate a bird through different obstacles.
"I still play it sometimes," said the 19-year-old two weeks ago. In addition to those on his mobile, he also plays an online role-playing game on his computer, an Indonesian online game publisher Lyto created, called Perfect World Indonesia. "In this gam,e we have to collect items to become the strongest," he explained.
Rezi has been an avid gamer since he was still in junior high school. He admitted to spending much time playing online games when he was in school. By the time he got to university, Rezi chose to study informatics engineering at Sriwijaya University in Palembang, South Sumatra.
As Rezi began his university years, he learned to develop games with his friends. "It turns out creating a complex game begins with simple coding on your computer," he said. Now, he is not just a game player anymore, he also develops games.
Although he is still a university student, Rezi works part-time as a programmer for an information technology company in Palembang. He still finds time to play games. "But I never let it interfere with my work. Although gaming is my hobby, I prioritize my job," he said.
In any case, Rezi dreams of developing his own game. He said he wanted to create something that many people will enjoy playing. "It's a personal satisfaction if my game turns viral like Flappy Bird," he said.
Last year, Rezi joined Game Dev Palembang (GDP), a community of game enthusiasts and developers. He is learning even more from members of the community about developing games. "It's great that we're able to share information and knowledge here," he said.
Palembang's gaming community, however, is tiny, Rezi said, unlike those in bigger cities like Jakarta and Bandung. Moreover, very few seminars and workshops on game development are available in Palembang. "That's why it's sometimes hard for us to find information to improve game development skills," he said.
Now, Rezi hopes more experts from elsewhere in the country will stop by Palembang to share knowledge and experience with GDP members. Once he finishes his undergraduate thesis, he hopes to join a startup that focuses on game development. "I want to create an online multiplayer, role-playing games in an open world where the possibilities for players are endless," he said. (*)
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