After banning Porn Sites in Nepal, Nepal Telecommunication Authority on Thursday has directed all the internet service providers and mobile service providers to ban Player Unknown’s Battleground, commonly known PUBG, a popular multiplayer internet game.
The Metropolitan Crime Division had filed a Public Interest Litigation at the Kathmandu District Court on Wednesday, seeking permission to ban PUBG. In its request, the division has said the game is negatively affecting the minds of young youths and is changing the behavior and study of children. On the same day the district court gave it a green signal to ban the Game.
“We received a number of complaints from parents, schools and school associations regarding the effect of the game on children,” Senior Superintendent of Police Dhiraj Pratap Singh, chief of the Metropolitan Crime Division, told the Post. “We also held discussions with psychiatrists before requesting the Kathmandu District Court for permission to ban the game.”
The division then sent a letter to the National Telecommunication Authority requesting to ban the game in the country after the Courts approval.
“Based on a letter from the crime division, we have ordered all internet and mobile service providers to ban the game,” Purushottam Khanal, acting chairman of the Nepal Telecommunication Authority, told the Post.
What is PUBG?
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile game is published by Tencent Games and is available for Android and iOS (i.e., iPhone).
It is an engaging game in which a maximum of 100 players drop on an island and fight to be the last one left standing. The players have to search for arms and other equipment after landing on the island and compete to win the game.
The game is currently undergoing a phased roll-out, from 19 March 2018, but it is a global roll-out and it’s available in the UK and other territories on Android. The iOS version is also available.
The game starts with you parachuting onto the game island. On landing your mission is to gather everything you can to help you win, from clothes to medical supplies to weapons, with a wide range of weapons and modifications for those weapons.
Each game can last up to about 30 minutes if you’re one of the last standing. Of course, you can die almost as soon as you’re on the ground. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. The game is very Addictive.
“Parents and schools had complained that the game was affecting their children’s studies and making them more aggressive. When we consulted with psychiatrists, they also said that the violence in the game can make people aggressive in real life,” said Singh.
The division’s letter states that the game should be banned as soon as possible to reduce its negative impact on the people playing it.
“Many other countries have also banned the game citing increasing aggressiveness in students. The game should be banned by Nepal as well in order to mitigate its effect on the mental health of the people of our country,” reads the letter.
China has also banned the game in October 2017.
In India also it was highly debated whether the game should be banned, especially after the cases of suicides linked to the game.
“There have been many shocking incidents due to the game in other countries. We have decided to ban the game before anything unfortunate occurs in Nepal,” said Singh.
According to police, the arrest will be made in Nepal as well if anyone is found playing the game after the ban. “The internet or mobile service provider will also face action if they do not implement the ban,” said Singh.
“Rather than complaining, people should keep a close eye on their children and make sure that they do not spend a lot of hours on gadgets and games,” said Shrestha, who also plays the game quite often. “Ban is not the solution.”
Do let us know your thoughts of banning the game in the comments.
