Development of the video game industry in Russia and the world
historical analysis, technological contributions, and prospects for scientific understanding
Keywords:
video game industry, history of video games, Russian game development, game studies, game design, games as a service, digital culture, national school of game design, post-Soviet game industry, Tetris, Escape from TarkovAbstract
This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of the video game industry as a global sociocultural and technological phenomenon, with particular emphasis on its historical trajectory and the contribution of the Russian school of game development. The study systematizes the key stages of the global market's development, from its earliest experiments to the contemporary era of games as a service. The unique path of the industry's formation in the USSR and post-Soviet Russia is reconstructed in detail, and its distinctive features — shaped by specific historical and economic conditions — are identified. Through the analysis of landmark projects such as Tetris, IL-2 Sturmovik, Allods Online, Pathologic, and Escape from Tarkov, the article assesses the technological and cultural contribution of Russian developers to the global industry and defines the specific characteristics of the "national school" of game design. Special attention is paid to the current state of Game Studies as an academic discipline both in Russia and internationally. The concluding section examines the structural changes in the Russian industry after 2022, the role of the Organization for the Development of the Video Game Industry (RVI) in the processes of adaptation and consolidation of the sector, and offers evidence-based forecasts regarding the prospective directions of its further development.
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