PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, popularly known as PUBG, is a video game that has infiltrated the minds of young people in India. The game has become such an addiction that some countries like Nepal and Iran have outrightly banned it. Some organisations in the country have even termed the game more dangerous than drug addiction.

 

A viral video shared recently on popular video sharing app Tik Tok showed a groom ignoring his wife at their wedding. He was stuck on his phone playing the mobile version of the PUBG video game. The video showed him giving it his full, undivided attention. The fact that a guest was trying to give him a present did not deter the groom; instead, he shoved the guest off out of obvious irritation to play his video game. He seemed oblivious to everything going on the world except his beloved game.

 

 

Fortnite is the one game dubbed a problem in most other parts of the world as the love for PUBG dipped upon its arrival. Prince Harry of England once called for the ban of the game due to its addictiveness. However, it seems India is still basking in the euphoria of playing PUBG. The game continues to gain more popularity in the Asian country. Government bodies and organisations are starting to act against the game which now seems like a growing epidemic.

 

To play or not to play

This not the first bizarre story of the results of PUBG addiction in India. A video once went viral on Facebook where a man reportedly left his pregnant wife to play the video game. The game seems to have such a great impact on young men in India, but concerns are growing even more on how it influences children in the region.

 

An Indian publication once regarded the game so harmful that it turned children into psychopaths. In a recent article, the Navbharat Times used the word manorogi, a Hindi word for “psychopath”, to describe its effect on children.

 

Some parts of India are now taking proactive steps against the game. At least 16 people have been publicly arrested for playing the game.

 

Meanwhile, in Iraq, the parliament has now banned many popular video games including the PUBG. The government said these games harm society and can potentially be a threat to national security.

 

Here is the official trailer for PlayerUnknown’s Battleground: