The Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, Pyotr Tolstoy, announced that today, January 21, the first meeting of the Duma's working group on video games took place.
He announced this on his Telegram channel. The post lacks specifics. It's unclear in what format the meeting took place, who participated, or what topics were discussed.
However, it is clear from the text that the group's task will be to "develop clear rules to protect the rights of citizens, especially the younger audience, from destructive content."
This pertains to the revision of the bill "On the Activity of Developing and Distributing Video Games in the Russian Federation," which has resonated widely within the industry.
One of its key issues was described as prohibitive in nature, particularly the requirement for Russian gamers to authorize through the "Gosuslugi" state services portal.
In his post, Tolstoy urges people not to be alarmed by such attention to the industry: "I want to reassure everyone: no one is going to ban anything."
He also noted that "The issue must be studied alongside players, game distributors, parents, psychologists, and other specialists. And, of course, with representatives of the gaming industry."
Of particular interest: the beginning of the post is devoted to analytics. Tolstoy states that:
- 30 million people in Russia play video games;
- the country's gaming market is valued at 187 billion.
It is unclear where he derived the first figure, but the second suggests that the group is familiar with the report "Analysis of the Video Game Market Globally and in Russia" by Strategy Partners and RVC. Such an estimate was mentioned in that report.