Том 27, № 2 (2025): Political Game Studies

The objective of the article is to identify the most pertinent approaches and prospects for state policy in the field of video games. The author’s methodological perspective includes the principles of critical discourse analysis of academic works, comparative study of case studies, and scenario techniques. The author discusses the liberal, conservative, and hybrid approaches to state video game policy. The author also underlines the difference between active and reactive video game policies. The identified approaches, issues, prospects, and aspects are updated in terms of their relevance to present Russian state policy tasks. The study also aims to define the ecumenical paradigm of state sovereignty. The importance of collaboration between the state, developer representatives, and the player community in regulating the industry and the video game market is emphasized. The author’s grasp of the political industrial phenomenon helps to describe the opportunities and risks of such contact. To better comprehend the prospects for the transition of Russian state video game policy, basic development scenarios are described.

The issue of propaganda of ideas and meanings in computer games is in the focus of researchers’ attention. However, the integration of social agendas and minority values into the gameplay is becoming more ambitious, which requires careful analysis. Studying this phenomenon, determining its causes and possible consequences is of interest for political science analysis, as it allows us to assess the prospects for using gaming platforms to form an agenda for the gaming environment, broadcast and incorporate certain ideas and views in milder forms, as opposed to propaganda. The communicative approach of H.M. McLuhan was used to understand the essence of computer games and their significance in the life of society. The agenda theory proposed by M. McCombs and D. Shaw made it possible to identify the reasons for the appearance of “agendas” in computer games and analyze the communication channels through which issues of representation of minorities and their values are actualized for the gaming community. It has been found that the use of computer games for the purpose of openly promoting specific ideas, attitudes or actions to a mass audience is ineffective, because in the absence of audience interest, such an impact meets resistance, which manifests itself in the rejection of gaming products. To broadcast specific ideas, it is necessary either to rely on existing patterns formed not only under the influence of gaming experience, or to do so at such a high ideological and technological level that the gaming community would not reject this product. At the same time, the degree of influence on the player’s consciousness will be significantly lower. Unlike narrowly focused propaganda games, caused by the attitudes of individual Western countries, the DEI agenda has left few people indifferent in the global gaming community. There are ongoing discussions on this issue online, reflecting a conflict of values.

The video games are a significant tool for influencing the processes of transformation of mass consciousness through interactive symbols and narratives. The political images of Russia built into their structure are identified and systematized, and strategic approaches to preventing information risks and optimizing socio-political communications are developed. The empirical material of the study includes foreign video games released between 2014 and 2024, containing direct references to events taking place in Ukraine. The methodology of the study is based on the synthesis of narrative, semiotic and discourse analysis of game annotations, algorithmic study of game mechanics, expert assessments and longitudinal monitoring. The results of the study revealed a significant transformation of the representation of the conflict in the video game space. Until 2014, the Ukrainian segment of the foreign gaming industry maintained cultural and thematic ties with the post- Soviet space, but in subsequent years the vector of narratives shifted towards the formation of an antagonistic image of Russia. Games released after 2022 have systematically introduced anti- Russian symbols, indicating that video games have become an effective tool for information warfare. As a strategic response to these challenges, the authors propose a comprehensive program for the development of the Russian gaming industry. It includes a number of key initiatives: the creation of grant programs aimed at developing patriotically oriented gaming projects; the integration of educational elements into game mechanics; the expansion of international cooperation within the BRICS and SCO; as well as legal regulation of political content in video games. The comprehensive implementation of these measures is aimed at strengthening Russia’s digital sovereignty in the context of modern geopolitical turbulence.

The Game Studies subdiscipline still poorly examined the potential of board games in political education and their semantic and methodological limitations. The findings from the board game study can be extrapolated to digital gamification and business games but taking into account that each of these methods has its own characteristics. As examples, the concepts of Discussion à Visées Démocratique et Philosophique by the contemporary philosopher M. Tozzi and “philosophy for children” by M. Lipman are cited as tools for developing the education of a democratically oriented citizen. The game technologies are effective tools for political education of pupils and nurturing certain democratic values in them. However, the introduction of board games into the educational process is complicated by a number of limitations. Among the main problem areas are the following: simplification of the modelled processes for easy entry into the game; limitations related to game mechanics; complexity of creating game components and interface; assessment of the game’s effectiveness in the issue of political education. In order to effectively use the potential of gamification in political education, the author proposes to force the transition to the practical stage of formation of game methods in domestic education.

This research paper examines the current state of political education and enlightenment among young adults attending Russian universities. The study uses a politico-psychological paradigm, viewing political education and enlightenment as means for controlled political socialization. Surveys of vice-rectors in charge of educational and youth policy at several Russian institutions provided empirical data, which was supplemented by views from academic and practical specialists. The surveys were conducted between late 2024 and early 2025. The findings highlight the importance of building a comprehensive strategy for implementing educational and enlightenment initiatives inside higher education institutions, as well as arguing for the incorporation of new pedagogical methods like gamification into these programs.

Recent studies on youth identity formation in the digital realm have predominantly focused on issues related to virtual or online identity. This study, however, redirects attention toward the challenges of shaping real-world identity through online platforms. Guided by a constructivist methodology, the research draws upon the findings of an expert online survey conducted in November 2024. Discourse analysis was employed to analyze the collected data. The surveyed experts unanimously support the importance of the state’s role in fostering youth identity via internet resources but emphasize the nuances associated with different types of online platforms. Particularly, they highlight the potential impact of entertainment and gaming websites on identity development among young Russians. Experts warn against adopting rigid, bureaucratic approaches when crafting identity-related policies online, stressing instead the need for subtle, tailored strategies. Furthermore, the results affirm the ongoing tension between reinforcement and mobilization theories regarding how modern information technologies shape political awareness and citizen identity.

The research analyzes the criteria and factors for assessing the content and main directions of implementation of the state youth policy (SUP) at the federal and regional levels by students of Russian regions, and establishes the degree of their correlation with the criteria for assessing this policy identified in scientific literature and official documents. The study is based on the results of a mass survey and focus groups conducted among schoolchildren and students of secondary specialized schools and universities of different types of regions of Siberia (Altai Krai, Altai Republic, Novosibirsk and Tomsk regions) in September - December 2024. The authors note the lack of a clear understanding of the content of the SUP, information about its programs and projects, especially regional ones, in the minds of student youth, which makes it difficult for young people to assess its implementation. While quantitative criteria of youth policy effectiveness prevail in official documents and research literature, benefits from inclusion in its implementation, their ratio to the required effort, the degree of assistance of the youth policy to the formation of human capital capable of providing young people with a decent life in the future, accessibility and interesting presentation of information about projects and events are more important for students. The article highlights the level of awareness of young people, their involvement in the projects and events of the youth policy, the presence of interest in this topic, the degree of relevance of individual areas of the youth policy for them, as well as the gender and age characteristics of respondents and the situation in the region of their residence as factors influencing the assessment of the effectiveness of the youth policy implementation by schoolchildren and students.

After the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall on March 22, 2024, immigration from Asian CIS countries turned out to be one of the most acute foreign and domestic political problems in Russia. Its importance is greatly enhanced by the security threats posed by the use of migrants by external forces in their own conditions. The increase in these threats has given rise to a number of legislative initiatives to tighten migration policy and limit the influx of migrants themselves. However, the occurrence of this problem is by no means accidental, and the terrorist attack in Crocus City and a number of other similar incidents that occurred in 2024-2025 only highlighted its severity. It is no coincidence that most of the high-profile events related to migrants are clearly localized in the Russian capital region, which, due to the large capacity of the labor market, is the main object of their attraction. As a result, places of concentration of migrants (“ethnic enclaves”) have begun to form around the capital, the main difference between which and the surrounding territories is a much higher number of non-ethnic and non-cultural populations. The study attempts to identify such places based on open sources, mainly press materials, statistics from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and population censuses, as well as to analyze the ethnopolitical risks associated with them. The study showed that the emergence of enclaves is associated with the concentration of migrant workers in the localities of their employers. Migrants prefer to settle around them, first temporarily, and then permanently. Due to the higher birth rate and continued immigration in such areas, there is a change in the national composition of the population, among which the dominant ethnic groups among migrants begin to prevail. The result of the appearance of enclaves is an increase in the discontent of the local population, interethnic tension and an increase in the number of conflict situations, which leads to an increase in the risks of destabilization of the ethnopolitical situation. The situation is aggravated by the ongoing demographic explosion in the countries of Central (Central) Asia and the narrowness of national labor markets, which forces their indigenous populations to seek work abroad, mainly in Russia and its metropolitan region.