Russian Association of Distributors and Importers of Video Games (R.A.D.I. Video Games)

History

2023: Establishing an association

Representatives of the Russian gaming industry have united in an industry association. The Russian Association of Distributors and Importers of Video Games (R.A.D.I. Video Games) began its work in Russia, the goals of which are to support the legal import and sale of video games, organize correct communication on them, inform consumers about the content of physical publications of video games, as well as recommendations on age restrictions. The president of the organization is Yasha Khaddazhi, general director of the importing company Achivka and ex-head of Nintendo's representative office in Russia, and among the participants are representatives of the Russian gaming industry. This became known on September 13, 2023.

The founding members of the Association are: • DNS • diHouse

• Buka
• EMSI
• GamePark
• Pyramid
• GAMEBUY
• Omegageim
• Achivka

One of the prerequisites for joining forces was the increase in demand for video games in Russia. According to to data a joint study of the media holding, Rambler&Co"" and SberMarketing"Check Index," in 2023, residents of Russia began to play video games 20% more often than a year earlier.

According to internal research of the Association, the current video game market in Russia is more than 3,000,000 consoles, given their last two generations, namely: PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Wii U and Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox series X 'S.

The total number of employees of companies that are members of the R.A.D.I. Video games is more than 70,000. Against this backdrop, the R.A.D.I. of video games is tasked with improving and protecting the console video game sector to provide consumers with suitable options to purchase legally imported goods. The Association provides recommendations on video games based on Russian legislation, which allows distributors and large retailers to indicate correct information on their resources. R.A.D.I Video games publishes data with recommendations on age restrictions of video games (0 +, 6 +, 12 +, 16 +, 18 +), on the presence/absence of the Russian language in the game, as well as on restrictions that make the product not suitable for certain categories of consumers. Such restraints include profanity, cruelty/violence, fear/fright scenes, gambling, sexual scenes, propaganda of prohibited substances, discrimination, and in-game shopping.

In addition, the Association provides information on the content of video games in accordance with the Federal Law "On the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development" dated 29.12.2010 No. 436-FZ. Relevant information can be found not only on the websites of game sellers, but also on the official page of the Association with a constantly updated database of video games. The Association's database contains information on games released between 2022 and September 2023. The list is replenished not only with new products from the industry, but also with games from earlier years of release. Access to this information should make it easier for parents who have the question of the presence of content that is unacceptable to the child in the game. All materials presented on the site are based on the results of an analysis of data available from official sources.

The information on the site is advisory in nature and is not a regulatory act. R.A.D.I Video games do not forget about the availability and openness of information for customers not only online, but also when choosing video games in stores.

After analyzing more than 2,500 video games for various platforms, the Association's specialists have developed a unified design of information stickers for marking video games, which not only greatly simplify the choice of a game suitable for the buyer's requirements, but also fully comply with the age classification standards for information products in Russia.

Video Game Labeling Information Stickers:

Protecting the interests of all market participants - from distributors and retailers to millions of fans of physical video game publications from Russia - is our key priority. To successfully meet this challenge, coordination of all stakeholders is required. I am confident that the work of the Association will provide a synergistic effect and will contribute to the further development of our industry even in such difficult conditions, - said the President of R.A.D.I. Video Games Yasha Haddazhi.