On the evening of December 11, Anton Gorelkin, a deputy and deputy chairman of the committee on information policy, announced that on December 12, a bill regulating the Russian gaming industry would be submitted to the State Duma for consideration. The editorial staff of App2Top obtained the text of the bill. We explain in straightforward terms what it is about.
The proposed bill can be conditionally divided into three conceptual parts. The first concerns mandatory content labeling for games. The second requires user authorization via phone number. The third allows for the financing of game development, including from the federal budget.
Labeling
This is the first and most complex part of the document. It presents a series of requirements for game stores and game publishers. The key requirement for both types of businesses is to inform users about the content of the games. This part also includes a section on expertise.
Requirements for Game Stores
The bill refers to game stores as “game distribution services.” This includes any digital platforms where users purchase games, specifically mentioning key-selling services in a few parts of the document.
Key requirements include:
- informing users about the content of the video games—this refers to mandatory new content labeling (apparently the same labeling that was previously proposed by APRIORI and preliminarily approved by the Russian Ministry of Economy);
- handling the data of Russian users on servers located in Russia.
If a service does not comply with these rules, it will be prohibited from distributing, selling, and advertising games in the country.
Requirements for Publishers
In the document, a publisher is called a “video game distributor.”
If the law comes into force, every publisher will be required, among other things, to:
- censor in-game content in accordance with Russian laws;
- ensure the classification of the video game in accordance with the law "On the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development" (that is, apply age ratings, which have existed in Russia since 2012);
- inform users about the features of the game content (i.e., apply the content labeling proposed by APRIORI);
- if it is a free-to-play game, publish transaction rules in Russian and ensure a procedure for dispute resolution in Russia;
- store data about Russian users on servers located in Russia.
Expertise
Both of the aforementioned labels are placed by the publisher independently. However, if desired, they can “organize an expertise process.” The purpose of this expertise is to demonstrate the correctness of the labeling.
Almost anyone can submit a project for expertise. It can be initiated by “government bodies, local self-government bodies, legal entities, individual entrepreneurs, public associations, or citizens on a contractual basis.”
Simply put, if someone doubts the labeling of a game, they can organize an expertise at their own expense, to which the publisher will have to adhere (although, according to the bill, the publisher will have the right to challenge it).
The expertise is conducted by experts who have received the appropriate accreditation.
Experts can be specialists with specific knowledge “in the fields of pedagogy, developmental psychology, developmental physiology, psychiatry, cultural studies, art studies, as well as knowledge in the creation and distribution of video games.”
Authorization
The bill proposes to require authorization of Russian users either by mobile phone number or through the State Services portal.
The proposal applies only to those games where there is already an authorization function.
Support
This is the most unusual part of the document (its "carrot" section), which specifies that government bodies (including local self-government) will be able to:
- provide full funding for development;
- offer developers tax payment benefits;
- provide financial support from both federal and local budgets.
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According to Gorelkin, the law is “the result of a very extensive collective effort—the ministry worked on it, as did the deputies.”
In addition to Gorelkin, the authors include:
- Anton Nemkin — deputy and federal coordinator of the “Digital Russia” project;
- Yana Lantratova — deputy and first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Education;
- Lilia Gumerova — senator and chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education, and Culture;
- Artem Sheikin — senator and first deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building;
- Natalya Kuvshinova — senator.
Judging by the initial reaction from industry participants, neither gaming associations nor gaming businesses were involved in the drafting/discussion of the bill.