Youth mourn ban on PUBG

Parents happy that the game has finally met its death

Banning of PUBG, the hugely popular online game by Indian Government, is being both mourned as well as welcomed. Parents are happy that the game has finally met its death in the country. But youngsters as well as some adults, who could not stay away from the game and spent at least a few hours playing it each day, are disappointed and unhappy.

Addiction to the game saw a teenager in the city losing his life after playing PUBG for 17 straight hours. There are many teenagers who play the game for about 10 hours a day, still wanting more of it.

KK (name withheld) is a class 10 student. Thanks to the lockdown, he claims he and his friends spend 10 hours a day on PUBG.

“I and my friends have been playing this game for the last two years. We have spent money on buying special effects. To be on top, one has to invariably spend more time on this game. Because of our parents’ pressure, we have been spending only 10 hours a day on it. There are others who play for 20 hours a day and sleep for just four hours.”

LB, who completed his Intermediate, says, “It is something like this. If there is a death in the game from within your squad, it somehow helps you bond more with your team. LB, along with his

● ADDICTION TO the game saw a teenager in the city losing his life after playing PUBG for 17 straight hours.

teammates MA, AN, MN, PK, CN, NL, and ER, are a team of eight who have been active in this game since they were in Class 8. “Though we are not able to meet physically, we make sure we play this game each day,” disclosed LB.

For Hemanth Kumar and his wife, the ban has come as a great relief. They say they are grateful to the central government.

“Our son is addicted to this game. Last year, he failed in his tenth class exams. He has become rebellious after he started playing this game. He talks in his sleep using all the game’s jargon and keeps asking his friends to take action,” Hemanth said.

Praveen Jain is another parent happy with the ban. “My son, who is pursuing MBA, plays the game well into the night and into early hours. The lockdown had only worsened the situation. He has been spending all his time on the game.”

AY, another youngster and a PUBG player, disagrees with the ban. “It is just a game that keeps us busy. It is a great platform to stay connected with friends who are far away from each other. How much time one spends on it is a matter of personal choice,” he remarked.