A group of deputies and senators prepared a federal bill entitled “On activities for the development and distribution of video games in the Russian Federation.” According to it, new requirements will be imposed on publishers, trading platforms and s of games in the Russian Federation.
First of all, the publisher and distributor will be required to provide buyers with information about the games and the content they contain. The list of this very content will be determined by the government, and now it includes such items as “expletive words”, “images or descriptions of cruelty and violence”, “alcohol”, “smoking”, as well as elements that can cause “fear, horror or panic” ” It is also proposed to conduct an examination of video games and determine whether the project contains elements of information prohibited for distribution in the Russian Federation.
s will be required to provide personal data through a number of proposed services: the Unified Identification and Authorization System (USIA, the State Services portal), the Unified Biometric System or using a subscriber number (which must certainly be connected to the State Services).
The authors of the bill are of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Anton Gorelkin and Anton Nemkin, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Education Yana Lantratova (party “A Just Russia – For Truth”), as well as senators Artem Sheikin, Liliya Gumerova and Natalya Kuvshinova. In their opinion, the bill will make it possible to establish restrictions “in order to protect the morals, rights and interests of citizens, including informing video game s about the features of their content.”
Commentary by Anton Gorelkin, made on the sidelines of the “Heroes of Runet” award, quotes Rossiyskaya Gazeta publication:
“We are introducing a bill to regulate the gaming industry, to regulate labeling and to regulate development. For the first time in history, we will have a bill, and I hope a law that will become systemically important for the gaming industry. For many years, our gaming industry existed as if in a parallel reality. This is the fruit of a lot of collective work, both ministries and deputies have worked here. The bill will help rebuild the industry efficiently so that the state can systematically it,” Anton Gorelkin, deputy head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, head of ROCIT.
Naturally, most foreign gaming platforms (Steam, EGS, GOG) will not bother with fulfilling all the requirements, be it obtaining a license for each game or connecting to government services. And in the case of domestic publishers, this may lead to additional costs. In turn, not every gamer will want to on all online platforms through State Services or buy games with a port in a store.
Experts interviewed by Kommersant and Rossiyskaya Gazeta note that the requirements are excessive and will negatively affect the entire industry in the country. They plan to submit the bill to the State Duma on December 12, 2024.
