Can a ban on PUBG solve the addiction problem amongst youth?
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is a multiplayer online battle royale game that has turned into an addiction problem amongst the youth.
PUBG is a game which has now become a headache for parents. In a bizarre incident recently, a student reportedly committed suicide as he was scolded for playing PUBG and not studying enough for his examinations. The student was identified as Kallakuri Sambashiva who lived in Vishnupuri Extension in Malkajgiri area (Telangana) and was studying in Class 10th. His father, K Bharath Raj, who is a priest has now come up and said that children should be kept away from the game and should not be exposed to them. “We had uninstalled the game from his mobile phone many times. But he would install the game again and play without our knowledge,” Raj said, adding that as he had examinations, and had constantly asked him to stop playing.
What is PUBG?
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is a multiplayer online battle royale game developed by a PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of Korean publisher Bluehole. It is an online game where 100 players parachute onto an island with no weapons or armor or items outside of cosmetic items that don’t impact gameplay. The game map shrinks every few minutes, forcing one to relocate to a new area, and damaging the player until they do. Failing to enter a new safe zone results in death. To win, the players have to find weapons, kill people they see and avoid danger. The last player standing in PUBG Mobile is greeted with the phrase ‘winner, winner, chicken dinner’.
Why is it so addictive?
Its success in being the most popular game can largely be attributed to the methodical way of playing it requires. It’s more than just picking up a gun and kill a handful to get your way. It’s the wit you’ll be needing if you want to reach the chicken dinner victory, the fancy name given to the reward for the winner. Every move you make weighs heavily on how it would turn out.
For starters, when you decide to land from the plane alone changes the fate of your game. If you jump too early, you’ll have the edge as you would hit the ground earlier than the others but that might put you in place farther away from where the actual battle would take place as the circle contracts. And, if you jump late, it’ll distance you from your opponents but give you enough time to scavenge in peace before hitting the fray.
Talking about the UI and the special effects, they are simply surrealistic. Not every game keeps you on your toes for hours and has you hidden in an attic just to hear a creak to get a heads up on somebody nearby with a gun. Plus, the sound really builds up the tension, especially, when only the last few 10–15 people are left. Even watching that as a non-participant, the experience is palpable.
Should it be banned or not?
After cases of extreme PUBG addiction came into the limelight, people and especially parents have been demanding that PUBG should be banned in India. ” My son is a PUBG addict. He plays this game for 8 hours a stretch. He has lost his interest in studies, and we as parents are really worried”, says Sumita, a homemaker.
Other parents too echo the same concern, ” My daughter’s board exams just got over. It was so difficult for us to get her to study for boards, we had to take away her phone. She was visibly upset, but we had to do it for her own good. I do think that a ban on PUBG can help in solving this addiction problem.”
In a digital age, the idea of putting a ban on something is not that easy. To block PUBG, the government first needs to ask the ISP’s (Internet service providers) in the region to block all the communications to the PUBG server. This can be done by asking ISPs to install filters that can detect and filter traffic to and from the IP addresses that host the PUBG server.
There is also an ASN (Autonomous System Number) blocking method which, if employed, will not only block traffic towards PUBG servers but will also block all the other internet traffic as well. However, none of these blocking methods are fool-proof. One only needs a credible Virtual Private Network (VPN) service to get around if a state government were to block PUBG. Using a VPN app users can easily change their location to Philippines and connect to Philippines DNS Server for PUBG Mobile Lite.
The Way Out
While speaking to Times of India, many youngsters felt that a complete ban on the game is not feasible. They said that people will find a way to circumvent this ban. Instead of banning the game altogether, they said that certain restrictions can be put into place such as a maximum play time limit for the users, and strict restrictions on logins where children below the age of eighteen years would not be able to access the game.
Banning the game altogether may not solve the problem. In the digital age, people now have access to multiple gaming apps. If one is banned, another props up. The way out would be reasonable restrictions put on the game and measures like having a maximum time limit. Instead of putting a blanket ban on the game, the government should consult cyber security experts to find more effective solutions to this problem.
Schools can play an important role by teaching children to exercise self-regulation and by imparting lessons regarding the harms of gaming addiction. Parents too would have to play a part in monitoring their children. These solutions can help in curbing the menace of PUBG addiction.
Originally published at reflectionsofamillenniallife.wordpress.com on April 5, 2019.
