Luminov uses mobile games to teach Indonesian kids how to brush their teeth, and other good habits

Following last week’s news of Surabaya-based Alkemis Games grabbing seed funding from East Ventures and Jakarta’s Game Developers Gathering event last Saturday, several more game studios are coming forward to make themselves known in an industry that is clearly heating up in Indonesia.

Luminov is different from the lot though. Take its game Tooth Invaders for example. This game aims to teach children the importance of brushing their teeth. The game’s villains are nasty germs ready to wreak havoc on your virtual teeth. If players don’t brush regularly, the germs punch holes in their teeth and ultimately send them to the dentist, which is never fun for anyone.

Tanaka Murinata, managing director of Luminov, believes that his company can become the number one studio in Indonesia – and also be the most ethical one. He wants his games to not just entertain but also teach good habits and values.

“About three years ago, I saw the rapid development of smartphones, and predicted that in the next couple of years, smartphones and tablets would replace the personal computer,” Murinata says. “We believe that we can contribute to society by building games not only for entertainment purposes, but also to teach the merit of virtue and good character.”

Moral fiber as a differentiator

It’s not just Tooth Invaders. Luminov’s other games too have moral lessons built into them. Bawang Merah Bawang Putih, for instance, uses a classic narrative from Indonesian folklore to illustrate the essence of good family values, while Safe School is meant to teach kids how to react during an emergency situation.

Murinata says Luminov has started to work with international companies and non-profit organizations to create more educational mobile apps. Luminov is partnering with organizations like Daewoo Securities, The Korean International Cooperation Agency, and the Orang Tua Group, one of Indonesia’s largest conglomerates.

Luminov had opened a booth at our Startup Asia Jakarta 2014.

High hopes for low-end smartphones

Founded in 2010, Luminov has so far published five game titles on Google Play and the App Store. Murinata says another local game studio Touchten (arguably, Indonesia’s most famous mobile game developer) is one of Luminov’s indirect competitors. “We have a different vision and strategy [from them] in mobile gaming,” explains Murinata. “We believe that most smartphones in Indonesia tend to be low-end. Thus, efficiency and speed become very important.”

Murinata claims Luminov has around 30,000 monthly active users. He measures active users as people who have used one of Luminov’s apps at least once in the past month. “It’s not a big number, but we think it’ll grow significantly next year as we add more apps to our portfolio,” says Murinata. Luminov generates revenue via in-app purchases, while its games are free to download and play. Murinata says the biggest challenge associated with this business model is payments, as credit card penetration in Indonesia is still quite low.