INDIA’S GAMING BATTLEGROUND
PUBG is back with a changed name, but does Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) compare to the original?
Let’s start with a bit of history. PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) first started life as the modification of a game called DayZ. The creator Brendan Greene aka PlayerUnknown based the mod on Battle Royale, a 2000 film by Kinji Fukasaku. The gory masterpiece pits students against each other in a deathmatch. There can only be one winner at the end. The mod was so popular that Greene teamed up with Korean gaming company Bluehole to create PUBG, which was launched on multiple platforms in 2017. However, it was with the 2018 mobile version of the game that PUBG truly went viral, especially in India.
Why was PUBG banned?
The popularity of PUBG transcended age and professions in India. Even soldiers in the army were playing it. At the time, PUBG mobile was being distributed in India by the Chinese company Tencent, one of the biggest investors in Bluehole, with a 10 per cent stake approximately. Apparently suspecting PUBG of leaking crucial data with regards to national security to the Chinese government, the Indian government banned it along with a host of other Chinese apps. After the ban, Tencent gave up the rights to distribute PUBG in India, allowing Krafton, a South Korean video game holding company, to now distribute Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), a modified Indiaexclusive version.
Does BGMI tick the boxes?
I tried a few rounds of BGMI and, at its core, it is PUBG. It has the same weapons, maps, music and gameplay. If you have played PUBG, you can jump straight in. For those who want to go all out from the get-go, there is the option of jumping into an active warzone like Pochinki. But there is also plenty to do for others like me who want to stay away from the action and build on ammunition and equipment, going into the final battle as the map limits get tighter. You can also still curse your teammates on voice chat if they are being noobs (newbies). I enjoyed playing BGMI just as much as I did the original.
Another aspect of the game that is preserved is the storefront which, I think, gets pushier and more conspicuous with every update. It is just as annoying, if not more, as its predecessor. There are several significant changes as well, which, funnily enough, have been inspired by the Chinese version of the game. There are loud and frequent announcements designed to remind you that this is a simulation, not real life and to make sure you take enough breaks between play sessions—frustrating to hear but justified. This game no longer has blood or gore. The players, for instance, bleed green.
BGMI is also restricted to India, which means you can’t compete with interna
tional players. That said, there are lots of players on the server right now and they are fairly good competition. However, true e-sport champions are born from practising with the best. Without access to international servers, Indian players will suffer in future competitions.
What’s in store for BGMI?
The game is presently in beta and has a limited number of players testing the environment. However, over the past few weeks, it has again raked up controversy. Gaming website IGN India recently reported that BGMI was pinging Chinese servers. This problem was acknowledged by Krafton and fixed with an update. Krafton will need to walk the line of compliance, so they don’t get banned again. All this while trying to balance their ambitions in India of local e-sports and profitable tie-ups. ■
—Jaison Lewis