The issue of PUBG distracting students from their academics is not unheard of. The addictive nature of the game has become a matter of national concern as evidenced by Prime Minister Modi’s response to a mother in his Pariksha pe charcha 2.0 session.
In the teeth of the growing popularity of the battle royale game, PUBG has taken much flak in India owing to its addictive nature that Indian students just can’t resist feeling obsessed with. PUBG Mobile developers have issued a statement following the call to ban it.
The email statement read, “We appreciate the support and trust given to us by our PUBG MOBILE players. While we strive to deliver the best possible gaming experience to our fans, we also believe that it is extremely important for us to be a responsible member of the gaming ecosystem. To this end, we constantly work and shall continue to work with different stakeholders, including parents, educators and government bodies, and listening to their feedback on what we can do to enhance the overall PUBG mobile experience.”
PUBG Mobile has further added, “To foster a healthy and balanced in-game environment, we are developing numerous new features and enhancements which enables us to provide an environment for players to enjoy PUBG mobile in a rewarding and responsible manner. We are honoured to have a passionate community of PUBG mobile players in India and globally and continue to welcome their feedback to make PUBG mobile the best game ever!”
Adding to it, the State Information Technology Minister, Rohan Khaunte at a government event in Porvorim said that there should be a law in the state to curb the multiplayer battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). According to Khaunte, the game has become like a demon that is festering in every house and students are completely locked into their devices and are not serious about their studies. “I am not aware of states banning PUBG but some law has to be made to ensure there is a restriction on it in Goa. PUBG has become a demon in every house. Students, instead of studying, are engrossed in playing PUBG,” he said. He also added that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar should take the matter into consideration.
PUBG has been popular ever since it made its debut on Google’s Play store. PUBG has been downloaded around 240 million times.