With internet off in Valley, youths addicted to mobile return to offline games like 'ludo'

Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) [India], Aug 22 (ANI): With communication channels snapped and mobile internet blocked, people addicted to mobile phones in the Kashmir valley have taken to offline mobile games like 'ludo' to keep their fingers running on their cell phones and tablets.

ANI spoke to various youths who were spotted using their mobile phones and found out that most of them were busy playing some offline games on their devices.

"I miss the internet on my phone. On other days I would play my favorite game PubG but since it requires an internet connection, I can't play it. I have turned to ludo and am playing it regularly. I can't imagine being away from my device for long as it has become a habit to check notifications and play games almost frequently, " Firdous (name changed) told ANI.

The Class XI student, Firdous who has crossed over 100 stages in PubG, was visibly upset to miss out one of the most popular games.

Ayesha, another Class XI student residing in the upscale Rajbagh locality of Srinagar, describes how she would spend her time playing online games. With PubG being her favorite pass time.

"It has been my most favorite game and I play it with my friends but sadly we don't have a mobile internet connection to keep playing the game these days," said Ayesha.

Parents, however, are a relieved a lot these days as far as the online addiction of their kids is concerned.

"She would come back from school and start playing games. Watching online series on her iPad. There would be days when she would just not speak with anyone and hide in corners of the home," Ayesha's mother told ANI.

"Although this communication blockade is unfortunate, in a way it is good for the kids as it will help them get rid of their mobile addiction," she added, saying that she has broken a couple of iPads to stop her daughters play games on them.

She, meanwhile, urged the administration to open the communication channel at the earliest.

Mobile network and landlines connections were snapped ahead of abrogation of Article 370 and 35A in the valley. Although the landline network is being restored in phases, there is no clarity on the resumption of mobile network and internet services.