Gamers vs cops: PUBG craze falls foul of the law but is a ban the answer

What: After PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile, a popular online multiplayer game, was banned in Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Bhavnagar and Gir Somnath in Gujarat, the Rajkot police arrested 10 people for playing it. Six of them were undergraduate students. According to various news reports, so engrossed were the players in the game that they didn’t even notice the police approaching them. 

While the offence is immediately bailable, it does require the accused to face a court trial for “illegally” playing the highly addictive game, the goal of which is to survive till the end (either solo or with your team) by killing all other combatants. 

When: Rajkot Police Commissioner Manoj Agrawal issued the notification banning PUBG on March 6 on the grounds that the game encourages violent behaviour among children and youth. The ban is in place till April 30, perhaps to ensure that students don’t get distracted by the game during the exam months. Anyone caught playing PUBG in these cities and districts in a public place can be arrested under Sections 188 (disobeying an order promulgated by a public servant) and 35 (act done with a criminal knowledge or intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Why: On January 29, at a "Pariksha Pe Charcha 2.0" event, a woman asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for advice saying her son, a Class IX student, spent more time playing online games than studying. Modi replied: “PUBG wala hai kya (Does he play PUBG)?” His response drew applause and laughter from students, many of whom were impressed that the Prime Minister was aware of this online rage.

But it seems that PUBG has been inflicting damage for a while. The Battle Royale game’s addictive nature has not spared grown-ups either. Case in point: a fitness trainer in Jammu became so immersed in the game that he began hitting himself and ended up in hospital earlier this year. 

Now: The ban and the subsequent arrests have led to passionate Twitter debates under the hashtag #PubgBan. Those against the ban say the game comes with age restrictions and is to be played by those 16 and above. User Mohit Sheopuri tweeted, “We are living in a country where playing pubg is a bigger crime than committing rape, burglary, murder, snatching like crimes. Kudos to the law maker.”
 

And Ashish, a user on Twitter who supports the ban, tweeted, “I support pubg Ban...it is wasting the potential of youth...just like drug abuse. Those who are criticising it, deep down they know it is necessary.”

According to Samir Parikh, director of mental health and behavioral sciences at Fortis Healthcare in Delhi, the harmful effect of violent and aggressive games on children is well known. But certain vulnerable adults can easily become addicted to internet-related behaviour such as pornography and online-gaming, too, which can lead to cravings and withdrawal-like symptoms. Parikh suggests a more long-term approach to handling such internet-related addictions by empowering children with self-censorship so that they can find a balance between virtual and real lives. 

Despite the violent nature of the game and its ability to appeal to a large audience, this short-term solution of banning and arresting seems harsh and uncalled for. Besides, today it’s PUBG, tomorrow it could be another online game.