Published on: 2026-09-01
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The capital summed up the results of the special project “Neurogames” of the presidential platform “Russia is a land of opportunity”. Young developers, designers, and digital content specialists created game prototypes using artificial intelligence. Among the winners and prize-winners of the hackathon were nine participants from Moscow.
“Today, most Russians play video games, so it is no longer just entertainment but one of the most widespread languages of culture. Artificial intelligence makes entry into development more accessible. At ‘Neurogames,’ we demonstrate that today a small team with a strong idea and modern AI tools can create a real game prototype in a very short time. For participants, this is not just a hackathon but an opportunity to test themselves and their ideas, gather a team of like-minded people, receive support, and take the first step toward their own project. Our task is to find such teams and help them turn ideas into games that can engage millions,” noted Mikhail Gusev, Marketing and Analytics Director of the presidential platform ‘Russia — Land of Opportunity.’
In total, young professionals from 65 regions of Russia, as well as from Kazakhstan, Spain, Mexico, and South Africa registered to participate in the project. Ten teams reached the finals, each consisting of three to five people, who had to go from an idea to a working prototype of a game within one day, based on one or several thematic lines. These included the image of Russia’s future, the country’s pride and achievements, heroes among us, cultural diversity, family and traditions, as well as values important to society.
In eight hours, the teams developed a game concept, chose the target audience, game cycle, and key mechanics; distributed roles; prepared prompts for generating visual materials, sound accompaniment, and narrative elements; created game assets; and assembled a working version of the project that could be tried out on the platform. Experts evaluated not only the idea but also the quality of implementation, game mechanics, prototype testability, and project potential.
Among the winners and prize-winners of the “Neurogames” were nine residents of Moscow. First place was taken by the team “Svoi igry” (Our Games), which included Nikita Kushchenko, Alexey Doroshev, Nikolay Sitnikov, Kirill Bushuev, and Leyla Khromova. Second place went to the team “Gaz gaz six seven TM,” whose participants included Muscovites Kirill Sizov, Sofya Buldina, and Tatyana Varenik. Anatoly Lobov took third place as part of the team “Vverkh” (Up).
“Our game ‘Ambidextr’ is a trainer that develops both hemispheres of the brain. Without artificial intelligence, we wouldn’t have managed in eight hours: neural networks helped solve the problem of connecting two mice — initially this was impossible. They wrote the code for the adapter and created a content editor. Imagine: doing this manually would be like making a movie in one day. With neural networks, we load the prompt, get the finished result, and overlay it on the video sequence. Children watch it like a series but simultaneously train and develop. We dream of taking the project to the national level: creating a league where kids can prepare, record their achievements, and compete publicly,” said members of the ‘Svoi Igry’ team.
The user controls the game with two mice, which develops both hemispheres of the brain and cognitive abilities. Thanks to personal statistics, the player understands which parameters can be improved to enhance their performance.
The “Gaz Gaz Six Seven TM” team took second place with the game “B.A.M.”, in which participants build the Baikal-Amur Mainline. The game reflects the value of mutual assistance and cooperation.
The “Up” team developed the game “A Stone from the Soul,” in which the player heroically overcomes obstacles of varying difficulty.
“We tried to fill the game with meaning: even in a rush there is always room for kindness, a small contribution to everyday life. We are familiar with the format of ‘Neurogames’: we have already participated in the project ‘The First Neurocontent Cup’ of the presidential platform ‘Russia — Land of Opportunity.’ And this event became a logical continuation. We have a new team from another city, we were very pleased and are looking forward to invitations to future projects,” shared Anatoly Lobov, prize-winner of the ‘Neurogames’ hackathon.
According to the participants, the most difficult part was the time constraint: in one day, the teams had to not only agree on a concept but also develop it into a working solution that could be shown to experts and tested on site. The format of the “Neurogames” allowed young professionals to see how artificial intelligence accelerates development, the creation of visuals, sound, assets, and storytelling elements, while not replacing the original idea, teamwork, and product logic.
The winning team received 800 thousand rubles from the organizers’ prize fund. In addition, the Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization “Development of Artificial Intelligence Technologies” provided 500 thousand rubles for the refinement of the game prototype, so that the team could develop their hackathon work into a demo version. This award was given to the team that took second place.
Winners and finalists will also be able to compete for additional expert, grant, and informational opportunities provided by the Internet Development Institute, the Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “Artificial Intelligence Technologies Development”, the Skolkovo Foundation, and the VK Play platform. The Skolkovo Foundation is ready to connect the winners of the “Neurogames” to its expert and acceleration infrastructure. The strongest teams will have access to fast-tracks for obtaining residency in Skolkovo, provided their projects meet the program requirements, as well as consulting, expert, and methodological support.
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The presidential platform “Russia — Land of Opportunity” was created at the initiative of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, on May 22, 2018. Its goal is to help build the country’s future by enabling anyone to gain opportunities for their development. It is an open platform for communication among talented and caring people of all ages, exchanging experiences between schoolchildren, students, specialized professionals, entrepreneurs, managers, and volunteers. The supervisory board of the “Russia — Land of Opportunity” platform is headed by Vladimir Putin.
The platform has been operating for eight years, during which time it has united more than 25 million people from 89 regions of Russia and 150 countries worldwide. Participation in projects, contests, and Olympiads allows one to find like-minded people and make useful contacts, enter a university or undergo a promising internship, find a job, advance in a career, and receive a personal mentor who will help refine skills or develop leadership qualities. Today, the platform features projects and contests for people of different ages and interests.
Within the framework of the presidential platform “Russia — Land of Opportunity,” the management workshop “Senezh” was established. Participants of projects and competitions, active youth, as well as managers and civil servants attend courses there. The workshop serves as a center for consolidating the training of management personnel in three key areas: government, business, and society. Nationwide educational and youth events, including the “Territory of Meanings” forum, are held on the workshop’s premises.
Based at the country’s leading universities, the presidential platform develops competence centers where students undergo diagnostics of cross-professional skills and receive tools for their development. They can also confirm their competencies on Russia’s largest online recruitment platform, Headhunter.
The offices of the “Russia – Land of Opportunity” platform are open in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. They are equipped with lecture halls for educational events, information centers, as well as co-working spaces that provide residents of Donbass and Novorossiya with additional opportunities for personal and professional development.
The special project “Neurogames” of the presidential platform “Russia — Land of Opportunities” is aimed at developing practical competencies among young specialists in the fields of digital product development, artificial intelligence, and the gaming industry, as well as supporting promising projects capable of contributing to the development of the country’s modern creative industries. The hackathon is part of the “Digital Breakthrough” project and is implemented within the framework of the federal project “Russia — Land of Opportunities” of the national project “Youth and children”.
More about Russia’s national projects and the capital’s contribution can be found at special page.
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