Faced with ban threats, PUBG is trying to placate Indian parents and the government

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Faced with ban threats, PUBG is trying to placate Indian parents and the government
An Indian gamer plays PlayerUnknown's BattleGrounds (PUBG) at workBusiness Insider India

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  • PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) issued a statement promising a ‘healthy’ gaming experience for their users.
  • The mobile game has been accused of distracting students from their studies and promoting violent behavior.
  • The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had earlier advised all Indian states to ban the game.
Requests have been coming in from different parts of India to block the massively popular PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds (PUBG). The free-to-play mobile game has allegedly been derailing children from studying and promoting violent outbursts.

But the Tencent game is trying to hold its ground by promising a ‘healthy gaming experience’.

“We appreciate the support and trust given to us by our PUBG MOBILE players. While we strive to deliver the best possible gaming experience to our fans, we also believe that it is extremely important for us to be a responsible member of the gaming ecosystem. To this end, we constantly work and shall continue to work with different stakeholders, including parents, educators and government bodies, and listening to their feedback on what we can do to enhance the overall PUBG MOBILE experience.”

Statement by PUBG Mobile

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Clamour for a wider ban

In the one year that PUBG has been in the India, Indian users have spent over $19.65 million on in-game purchases, according to a KPMG report.

But, its popularity hasn’t been without consequences.
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As recently as February, the IT Minister of Goa called the game ‘demonic’ asking for laws to restrict its use in the southern state. Even in Kashmir, the Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) appealed to parents and teachers to keep kids away from PUBG after students didn’t perform well in their 10th and 12th board exams.

The Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in Tamil Nadu has already banned the game in the boy’s hostel because it was ‘spoiling’ the entire atmosphere. Students reacted on Twitter stating that the ban was creating ‘inhumane college conditions’.



And while it was rumoured that PUBG was banned in Maharashtra, Gujarat is the only state in India to have officially banned the game in primary schools. But a nationwide is speculated to be imminent with the the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issuing a notice to all states of India suggesting that they ban the game — how that ban will successfully be implemented is still unknown.

See also:
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An Indian engineering college has banned PUBG under the claim that its ‘spoiling the atmosphere of the hostel’ — but leaves women out of the conversation

India’s prime minister has an advice for PUBG addicts

7 reasons you should play PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, or 'PUBG,' instead of Fortnite
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