The first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Education, Yana Lantratova, listed computer games that have LGBT characters, and which they had previously wanted to ban in Russia. She stated in an interview with Gazeta.Ru that they are trying to “present unconventional relationships as something attractive” to children through video games.
According to her, some of the first games with LGBT characters were Le crime du parking, Moonmist and Circuit's Edge.
Lantratova also listed the games Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed: Rogue, Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Borderlands, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Life Is Strange, The Last of Us, The Last of Us: Part 2, Fallout, Apex Legends, RimWorld, Overwatch and more.
“All of these games have gays, lesbians, transgenders and bisexuals. Also beloved by many girls is The Sims 3, in which the player has to raise a family and has a fairly wide choice of partners. The hero also has the option to kiss a same-sex friend, ask him out on a date, make love, and even start a family and have kids!
Sometimes people of the same sex can stick to the hero himself with kisses. That is, the child who plays this is shown this behavior as the norm, and is given the opportunity to try an alternative scenario of family relations.
No one will forbid a teenager to play as a character of the opposite sex, the deputy assured. She clarified that we are talking about the promotion of "non-traditional relations."
Lantratova also proposed introducing administrative liability and fines for “LGBT propaganda” in computer games. This was reported by Izvestia with reference to the amendments prepared by it for the second reading in the State Duma of bills banning LGBT propaganda. The deputy explained that now children are not protected from “demonstrations of numerous acts of violence”, and there is no ban on the promotion of “non-traditional values and the desire to change sex in this segment of entertainment” in games.
It is assumed that for the promotion of games in the media and the Internet in relation to adults, individuals will be punished with a fine of up to 200 thousand rubles, officials – up to 400 thousand, legal entities – up to 4 million rubles. For propaganda against children, the fine will be up to 400 thousand for citizens, twice as much for officials, and legal entities will have to pay up to 5 million rubles.
Earlier in October, Russia wanted to ban the sale and release of video games that contain “prohibited information” and include LGBT characters. This was reported by Kommersant with reference to the bill being prepared by the Ministry of Economy together with the Ministry of Health, Roskomnadzor and the Ministry of Digital Development. The law should come into force on March 1, 2024.