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Gaming sensation Jagat shifts focus to public good amid vandalism backlash
The treasure-hunting game with rewards that are too good to be true now requires positive contributions to public spaces.
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A coin from viral game app Jagat is shown on Jan. 16, 2025. The app has triggered treasure hunts in large cities across Indonesia as successful players can find coins placed in parks or sports stadiums and receive cash from the game company. (X/X)
F
ollowing reports of widespread vandalism across Indonesia, viral location-sharing app Jagat has announced a major shift in the gameplay of its most attractive in-app feature and game, treasure hunt.
Jagat’s initial goal of helping users connect with friends and family has been overshadowed by the frenzy surrounding its new coin hunt feature, where players use their phones to track down hidden, bottle-cap-sized coins scattered in everyday locations.
Each coin, designed in bronze, silver or gold, represents cash prizes ranging from Rp 300,000 (US$18) to a staggering Rp 100 million (US$6,105).
The trend has seen individuals of all ages and groups scouring obscure locations in pursuit of these lucrative awards – walls, trees, park fences and even gutters – despite Jagat’s assurances that the coins would not be found in water, underground, behind bricks or in restricted areas.
Yet the app’s explosive growth – with 200,000 new downloads daily on Google Play, pushing its total to over 5 million – has not come without challenges.
Reports soon followed, highlighting public disturbances, property damage and unsafe behavior in major coin hotspots like Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya.
Read also: Jagat coin hunters damage GBK facilities
