RVI commented on the complaint to the IC and the Prosecutor General's Office about the map with the Moscow metro in Counter-Strike 2
The other day, the "Organization for the Development of the Video Game Industry" (RVI) asked law enforcement officers to check the card in Counter-Strike 2, developed for the "Big Esports League" tournament on Counter-Strike 2. It depicts a fictional metro station in Moscow, which can be blown up by terrorists. Now the organization has come forward with an explanation of its position.
RVI pointed out that it is a public organization that regularly reacts to events taking place in the industry. Therefore, it is not surprising that she paid attention to the tournament.
According to RVI, the problem was not so much in the map itself, but in the "sensitive combination" of the idea, event, time, place, theme of the explosions in the Moscow metro and the fact that the Counter-Strike 2 tournament was held with the support of the Moscow Department of Transport.
"... Like, for example, games about the explosions of the Twin Towers in the United States — it would also be strange for us to see with the support of the New York Department of Construction. Or games supported by the Tokyo Subway, where it would be proposed to spray gas in the Tokyo subway. That's what we drew attention to — an unsuccessful narrative, not blaming anyone, but only asking to check the normality of this event," RVI said.
RVI admitted that the wording in the complaint was harsh, but they "were formally selected in accordance with who and what they wrote to in order to convey the meaning of our questions and concerns." She appealed to the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor General's Office because these bodies have the authority to check.
RVI is not against developers adding the Moscow metro and other Moscow locations to the games. As the organization noted, in the summer she herself helped to hold a hackathon on the development of games about Moscow, she also offered to create thematic 3D models, thanks to which it will be easier for developers to make games. However, RVIE believes that games should be approached responsibly and take into account the context.
Also in her statement, RVI said that it would be good to add games from Russian developers to the program of tournaments organized with the support of government agencies. As an example, she cited Indonesia, where tournaments host matches for both local and foreign games in a one-to-one ratio. But this, RVIE stressed, is only the wish of the organization, not an appeal.
