A proposal to introduce rental certificates for video games was put forward in the State Duma in order to control the content of games distributed in Russia.
According to the proposal of the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Education, Yana Lantratova, such measures are necessary to prevent the spread of content that may have a negative impact on children. Lantratova noted that most video games are produced abroad and may promote non-traditional values and violence.
One example cited by the deputy is the game School Shooter, which simulates a school shooting, which, according to Lantratova, contributes to the normalization of violence among adolescents. According to her, Western studies, such as the “Persuasive Power of Video Games” project, are used to form attitudes aimed at harming young people, including promoting hatred of Russia and ideologies that oppose traditional values.
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin proposed involving regulatory authorities in the discussion of initiatives. It is important to note that the development of a mechanism for examining video games aimed at forming deviant behavior was recently recommended, which confirms the importance of creating content control systems for children and young people.
The need to control video games was also included in the decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the foundations of the state policy of the country in the field of historical education.
There is no game called School Shooter, but there is a game called Active Shooter that fits the description. It simulates a school shooting and allows players to take on the role of either a shooter or a member of an assault team that must eliminate the shooter. The game was created by Russian developer Anton Makarevsky and publisher Ata Berdyev, and became available in 2018. After criticism arose, the game, as well as the developers' trademarks, were removed from the Steam online game store.
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