Hailed as the largest gaming market in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is home to 43 per cent of the total pool of professional esports players in the world. With the government in support of the development of the local gaming industry, the gaming hotspot is positioned to attract more investments in the coming years. Just recently, Indonesia was chosen as the next host for the world-renowned M4 World Championships in 2023.
Unfortunately, the increased popularity of mobile sports in the country also brings health issues associated with prolonged hours of gaming. Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently started recognising Video Game Addiction as an illness that needs to be addressed with treatment. These developments prompt insurtechs to take action.
Igloo partnered with Indonesia’s leading e-wallet DANA to facilitate the first Gamers’ insurance product in the country. Developed to protect the gaming community, the product currently covers heart attacks and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTR) for IDR 1,000. Users can purchase the protection on the DANA app and select from plans starting from as low as Rp1,000 and up to a maximum benefit of Rp1,000,000 for cardiac arrest or carpal tunnel syndrome diseases.
Recognising the value it brings to the community, Insurance Asia Awards recently named Igloo’s Gamers’ protection “Product of the Year”.
“Indonesians have found joy in mobile gaming with 79 per cent of the population playing an average of 8.5 hours a week,” shared Amitabh Singh, regional head, intermediary platform services. “As mobile sports continue to gain more traction in the country, we also see the need to address the serious health concerns it comes with.”
In July 2021, well-respected Indonesian Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) player Tuturu surprised the gaming community when he announced his early retirement due to a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome, a disease that causes numbness, tingling, and pain in the hand and forearm.
As most of these ailments are chronic and harder to detect, professional gamers like Tuturu often continue to play unaware that they already have underlying injuries. In the worst cases, reports also show that extended periods of gaming may lead to fatal heart attacks.
“This recognition supports our commitment to making insurance more accessible across all the segments we serve,” shared Raunak Mehta, co-founder and CEO at Igloo. “As we carry our mission, we will continue to work with our partners to identify the current challenges consumers face and co-create innovative insurance solutions to address these.”
Image and article originally from thefintechtimes.com. Read the original article here.