In the video game world, “boosting” is when a higher-skilled player is paid to play on a client’s account to advance its rank.

In Indonesia, the people who offer this service are called joki, derived from the word “jockey”, a term also used for people who provide similar services, such as those who illegally take written tests on behalf of a client.

These highly-skilled joki play a number of games for the right price, including online first-person shooters, real-time strategy games and role-playing games.

The ‘joki’

Most joki are male university students in search of financial independence. Many advertise their services on social media.

Teguh Prasetyo, a 20-year-old university student and joki from Sidoarjo, used to compete in gaming tournaments. His boosting services have been his primary source of income since 2017.

He special…