To a new level: video game developers face fines of up to 5 million for banned content

Fines for video game developers for posting prohibited content can amount to up to 5 million rubles. Such amendments to the Administrative Code are being prepared by United Russia deputies, Izvestia found out. According to the parliamentarians, the amount of penalties should be comparable with similar punishments for the media: for legal entities, it amounts to 5 million, depending on the composition of the crime. Experts believe that in order to evaluate the content objectively, it is necessary to create a special structure with the involvement of the professional community.

What is the prohibited content in video games?

For the placement of prohibited and anti-Russian content in video games, it is proposed to introduce penalties similar to fines for the media. As Izvestia found out, such amendments to the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation are being prepared by Anatoly Vyborny, deputy chairman of the State Duma Security Committee from United Russia.

— Online video games in the modern world are becoming tools of anti-Russian propaganda in the hands of Western politicians. Through such content, they incite hatred towards certain nations, including Russians, by imposing stereotypes, for example, that Nazism is good. Unfortunately, the legislator has not yet responded to this in any way. There is no direct ban on the dissemination of illegal, Russophobic, defamatory information about our country and citizens, and there is no punishment for this," the deputy explained to Izvestia.

According to him, State Duma deputies have repeatedly tried to regulate the field of video games.

— I consider it appropriate to impose penalties on those developers and distributors of video games who do not respect our country and adversely affect the younger generation. Such measures should be at least comparable with the responsibility that is currently provided for in Article 13.15 of the Administrative Code ("Abuse of freedom of the media"), he stressed.

According to this article, fines are provided for various types of crimes, the deputy noted. For example, for distributing information expressing obvious disrespect for society, about the days of military glory and memorable dates of Russia, and publicly insulting the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland, a penalty of 3 million to 5 million rubles has been imposed on legal entities.

— By analogy, it is possible to provide for liability for distributors of video games for other crimes of the same article. For example, for posting information with hidden (and now AI—processed) inserts that affect people's subconsciousness and have a harmful effect on health, which is punishable by a fine of 400,000 to 1 million rubles with confiscation of the subject of an administrative offense," explained Anatoly Vyborny.

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The draft law "On the development and distribution of video games in the Russian Federation" is currently under consideration in the State Duma. It was submitted to the lower house of parliament in December 2024 by deputies of United Russia, Fair Russia — For Truth and senators. However, this version of the document does not provide for responsibility for publishing destructive content. In particular, the need to finalize it and amend the Administrative Code is stated in the conclusion of the Committee on Physical Culture and Sports. Izvestia got acquainted with it.

"Conceptually supporting this bill, the committee notes the need to clarify certain of its provisions, in particular ... amendments to the Administrative Code related to the establishment of liability for violations of the draft provisions," the document says.

Other committees, as well as the government, expressed complaints about the bill from deputies and senators.

— The government did not support the bill in the form in which it is legally formalized today. For example, it doesn't even have a responsible body that should act as a regulator of this activity," Nina Ostanina, head of the State Duma Committee on Family Protection, Fatherhood, Motherhood and Childhood, told Izvestia.

At the same time, the deputy is convinced that it is extremely important to regulate the field of video games, therefore, on May 15, deputies will again discuss the introduction of legislative norms.

— We will carefully study the government's recommendations and finalize the bill. It is important for us to create a balanced and effective regulatory mechanism that protects our children from negative influences, but does not hinder the development of the industry as a whole," Yana Lantratova, one of the authors of the bill and head of the State Duma Committee on Civil Society Development, explained to Izvestia.

According to her, the gaming industry covers millions of people, primarily young people. At the moment, this area is practically not regulated in any way, which leads to the spread of destructive content in the gaming space, the deputy stressed.

Izvestia sent a request to the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers with a request to comment on the reasons for the comments to the bill.

Regulation of the video game industry in Russia

Given that video games are no longer just a hobby, but a channel of mass communication and popular culture, some similar measures and restrictions on destructive content should be introduced, Mikhail Pimenov, an expert in the field of esports, gaming and the gaming industry, told Izvestia.

— The imposition of punishment for this cannot be called a wrong decision. But the question is who will evaluate these video games, how illegal they are and how they distort history. This will need to be reliably established," the expert explained.

According to him, for the sake of objectivity, it is necessary to create a special structure with the involvement of a professional expert community in order not to go so far as banning everything in a row.

— Video games are also an art form, so they need to be treated like books, movies, and theatrical productions. That is, if any game, like a book, violates the legislation of the Russian Federation, then it should be banned from distribution in the country," Alexander Kuzmenko, an independent video game expert, told Izvestia.

According to him, if there are Russophobic plots in games, then they certainly should not be distributed and advertised. At the same time, he noted that many domestic publishers are engaged in self-censorship. For example, in one of the games, before it was sold, a level with the shooting of civilians at a Russian airport was cut out. There was also a project in which non-traditional people acted as heroes, and he was given an 18+ rating in order to prevent propaganda among minors, the expert explained.

— After 2022, many foreign companies that produced game content left our country. If they come back now, I think that the Russian industry will be even faster to get ahead of the curve, and the game will simply be banned," Alexander Kuzmenko believes.

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As an example, he cited the regulation of video games in China, where one popular project was not allowed to be distributed, since Taiwan was listed as an independent territory. As a result, the concept of the game was redesigned for the Chinese market, the expert said.

— The video game market both in Russia and around the world is developing rapidly and is estimated in our country at several tens of billions of rubles. Today, millions of Russian consumers are involved in it, and it is obvious that the content that is broadcast to them must comply with the requirements of Russian legislation and meet national interests," Oleg Pavlov, head of the Public Consumer Initiative and head of the Public Council at Rospotrebnadzor, explained to Izvestia.

According to him, another nuance is that the vast majority of developers of computer games and platforms for their distribution are foreign companies that do not have representative offices in the Russian Federation.

— The question arises: how can this law be enforced? Therefore, one of the points should be not only the introduction of responsibility, but also the obligation of development companies and platforms to have representative offices in the Russian Federation or authorized organizations," the expert believes.

According to him, Russia can also use the Chinese model and ban all distribution platforms except domestic ones. That is, it is impossible to release a game in China without complying with all the requirements of the state, Oleg Pavlov explained.