UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Video game publisher Electronic Arts announced the closure of the beloved RPG studio BioWare last week. A quiz on their celebrated space-faring series Mass Effect

Q1. With reference to the classification of online games under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A game whose outcome depends predominantly on skill can still be an online money game if users deposit money or other stakes expecting monetary winnings in return.
  2. In-game coins or tokens fall outside the meaning of 'stakes' even when they can be converted into money.
  3. For a game to qualify as an e-sport, it must not involve the placing of bets or wagers by any person, including persons who are not players.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q2. A studio sells a story-driven, single-player space role-playing game for a one-time price. Players can also buy cosmetic outfits with real money, but these cannot be traded, cashed out or converted back into money. Under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming framework, how is such a game most appropriately classified?

  • A. As outside the Act, which covers only games that award cash prizes
  • B. As an online social game, since no stake is placed for monetary winnings
  • C. As an e-sport, since its outcome turns on the player's strategic skill
  • D. As an online money game, since players pay real money inside it

Q3. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A platform offering online rummy for cash stakes is prohibited under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, even though High Courts have treated rummy as a game of skill.
  2. 'Betting and gambling' is an entry in the State List of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming framework, a game that qualifies as an online money game can be recognised as an e-sport if it is played in organised competitive tournaments.
  2. For a game to be an e-sport under the framework, its outcome must be determined solely by skills such as physical dexterity, mental agility or strategic thinking.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. With reference to the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026 framed under the parent Act of 2025, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. The Central Government can amend these Rules without a fresh Act of Parliament, provided it stays within the limits set by the parent Act.
  2. The Rules could validly permit online money games that are predominantly skill-based, since the details of classification are left to the executive.
  3. Under this framework, it is the Online Gaming Authority that determines whether a particular game is an online money game.
  4. Registration is not required of every online social game, but only where the Central Government so notifies, whereas games offered as e-sports must register.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q6. With reference to the liability of online intermediaries in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. An intermediary is exempt from liability for third-party information only if it observes the due diligence prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021.
  2. An intermediary that fails to observe such due diligence loses its exemption and may face consequential action under any applicable law.
  3. Under the online gaming framework, platforms offering unlawful online money games may be blocked in accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q7. With reference to the regulation of online gaming in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 2023 amendments to the IT Rules introduced the concept of a 'permissible online game' and sought to ban online games involving wagering, including their advertising.
  2. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 continues the 2023 approach of allowing online real-money games once they are verified as permissible.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. Both 1 and 2
  • D. Neither 1 nor 2