The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has published a draft amendment to the 2021 IT mediation rules, related to Online Games, for public comment. Draft has been prepared to ensure that online games are offered in compliance with Indian laws and that users of such games are protected from potential harm.
Recently, the government passed a gazette notice, announcing changes in the Business Allocation The rules designate Meity as the focal point for online gaming related concerns. Earlier this month, the department published the draft rule for public consultation.
Talking to reporters about the proposed draft, the Minister of Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar affirmed: “The rules are simple – we want the online game ecosystem to expand and grow and become an important catalyst for India’s one trillion dollar Digital Economy goal by 2025-26. We also envision a larger role of startups in the role industry play online”.
Rules for playing online games: Extend innovation with the right safeguards
The minister said that the ministry acted quickly in formulating the policy and this was made possible through a series of meetings/consultations conducted by MeiTY with stakeholders before drafting the policy. He added that the ministry will hold another series of public consultations to finalize the policy soon.
He said the draft proposed a self-regulatory mechanism that, in the future, could also regulate online game content and ensure that games do not contain violent, addictive or sexual content. Currently, the gaming age is 18 and we wanted to keep it that way and see if the current framework works to expand the innovation ecosystem around online gaming while keeping it safe. and reliable for players or not.
Speaking about safety concerns, the minister said that between 40 and 45% of gamers in India are women, and therefore it is of the utmost importance to keep the gaming ecosystem safe. He said the draft rules have strict provisions against betting and wagering. He emphasized that online games that allow betting on the outcome are indeed a forbidden area.
Recently, the government passed a gazette notice, announcing changes in the Business Allocation The rules designate Meity as the focal point for online gaming related concerns. Earlier this month, the department published the draft rule for public consultation.
Talking to reporters about the proposed draft, the Minister of Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar affirmed: “The rules are simple – we want the online game ecosystem to expand and grow and become an important catalyst for India’s one trillion dollar Digital Economy goal by 2025-26. We also envision a larger role of startups in the role industry play online”.
Rules for playing online games: Extend innovation with the right safeguards
The minister said that the ministry acted quickly in formulating the policy and this was made possible through a series of meetings/consultations conducted by MeiTY with stakeholders before drafting the policy. He added that the ministry will hold another series of public consultations to finalize the policy soon.
He said the draft proposed a self-regulatory mechanism that, in the future, could also regulate online game content and ensure that games do not contain violent, addictive or sexual content. Currently, the gaming age is 18 and we wanted to keep it that way and see if the current framework works to expand the innovation ecosystem around online gaming while keeping it safe. and reliable for players or not.
Speaking about safety concerns, the minister said that between 40 and 45% of gamers in India are women, and therefore it is of the utmost importance to keep the gaming ecosystem safe. He said the draft rules have strict provisions against betting and wagering. He emphasized that online games that allow betting on the outcome are indeed a forbidden area.
