Government officials propose to launch educational programs at state universities on esports, data analysis, computer game development, and the use of technology in the creation of films and other content by the end of 2022 as part of the "New Communication Internet Technologies" roadmap implementation.

The roadmap was developed by federal executive authorities, as well as Russia's leading telephone provider Rostelecom and Dialogue, a non-profit Moscow-based organization for managing citizen appeals. The total amount of financing for the entire program until 2024 is estimated at around $239.1 million (17.6 billion rubles), of which $116.8 million (8.6 billion rubles) must be allocated from the federal budget.

Rostelecom, according to Kommersant, proposed introducing e-sports programs. "Computer games develop creativity, the ability to make quick decisions, manage stress and even develop cognitive abilities," the company explained. E-sports courses exists in several international universities, including StarCraft courses at UC Berkeley, University of Florida, and New York University, Rostelecom added.

As for now, courses on game software development are only introduced at St. Petersburgs’s ITMO university, gaming industry expert Maksim Fomichev noted. “Russian game market grew by 35% in 2020 against the backdrop of the pandemic, which inevitably leads to an increased demand for qualified specialists,” CEO of MY.GAMES (Mail.ru Group) Vasily Maguryan told Kommersant.

Original (in Russian)