10 arrested for playing PUBG in Gujarat: What was govt warning, why arrests and everything you need to know

HIGHLIGHTS

• The police arrested 10 individuals who were found to play PUBG on their smartphones in the public place.
• PUBG has been accused of causing distraction from academics among youngsters.
• The Rajkot administration has issued a formal ban on the game.

Earlier in the day, reports of the Rajkot police nabbing 10 youngsters for playing PUBG came in. The police arrested 10 individuals who were found to play PUBG on their smartphones in the public place. The arrests were made based on the charges issued under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code for violating an order issued by the Police Commissioner and Section 35 for playing PUBG despite the ban by the Gujarat Police Act. The game was banned in Rajkot by the Police Commissioner a few days ago.

PUBG was in the news for a long time since reports of the game spoiling youngsters as well as grown-ups. The game has been often accused of spreading violence among children and has led them to divert attention from academics, affecting their overall development. PUBG has been framed to be highly addictive even for grown-ups. The negative-effects of PUBG have been so concerning that a concerned mother recently took the issue to Indian PM Narendra Modi in the "Pariksha Pe Charcha 2.0" event.

If you have been wondering why a ban was implemented on PUBG, here's all you need to know the "PUBG Ban" chapter.

What is PUBG?

PlayerUnknown's BattleGround, widely known as PUBG to the world, was introduced last year on PC, consoles and mobile platforms. PUBG belongs to the battle royale genre where players jump along with 99 other players on a virtual battlefield and fight it out amongst themselves. The last man standing wins the match. Unlike other battle royale games, PUBG offers a military-themed realistic experience. PUBG is available for free on mobile platforms and is available for Rs 999 on Steam.

Why is PUBG being banned?

Since its introduction, PUBG has been considered as one of the most popular games, both on mobiles as well as PC. The game's immense popularity has led to the development of communities who live and breathe PUBG. The multiplayer gameplay mode encourages friends to play along with each other. And that's where the problem rises.

PUBG has been accused of causing distraction from academics among youngsters. The violent nature of the game has also been under suspicion for altering children's behaviour. Additionally, grown-ups have also been reported to be affected by the game badly, with some of them even being hospitalised due to the game's addiction.

Reported incidents of PUBG's negative effects

--A fitness trainer in Jammu was traumatized while playing the game. The man started punching himself after getting addicted to the game and injured himself badly. He had to be hospitalised and underwent medical treatment.

--A teenager in Mumbai committed suicide after his parents denied of purchasing an expensive smartphone to play PUBG.

--A Malaysian man was reported to leave his family and his pregnant wife after he was "disturbed" from playing PUBG.

Where has the ban been implemented yet

So far, the biggest news of PUBG ban is coming from Gujarat, where the Rajkot administration has issued a formal ban on the game. The police have been directed to make arrests if someone is seen playing PUBG in public places.

Gujarat's primary education department also issued a circular to ban the game after the recommendation of the Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights. The district education officers have been tasked to carry necessary measures to ban the game in schools.

The Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) was also reported to ban the game inside its campus.

Public reaction

Broadly, it has been mixed.

--A section of the public, including parents, authorities and some children have welcomed the ban. Some people on Twitter have been expressing their emotions, agreeing that game's negative effect on the lives of its players has been noticeable and a ban would certainly help youngsters get back on track. "I completely support the criminalising of PUBG. Such games have a negative impact on the minds of people like me who are unable to play it well, despite of the tremendous peer pressure," wrote one user.

--However, a majority of people have raised their voice against the ban. Many have argued that a ban isn't the only solution to a game that's deemed harmful to the people. There is no official proof to suggest that PUBG is dangerous. Some have even questioned the government's take on the issue of Internet freedom. Check out some of these tweets below:

Yes, #PUBG players are being arrested in Gujarat as per news reports. Criminalising the use of gaming technologies is massive blow to individual liberty. We will be following this up.

Full report : https://t.co/ob2N0lrrsw https://t.co/LH2GxPzOPR

Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (@internetfreedom) March 14, 2019

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