LAHORE:
A letter written to Punjab’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Saturday sought a ban on online game Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG).
The letter was written by SSP Liaqat Ali Malik on the instructions of CCPO Zulfiqar Hameed. It mentioned that the online video game has a devastating effect on the mental health of the youth and two cases of suicide have been reported in the city.
It stated that excessive violence triggers aggressive behavior among the youth and they become addicted to the game. The CCPO said the game should be banned and an awareness campaign should be launched.
A matric student had committed suicide in Gulshan-e-Abbas phase-II a few days ago. The boy was found hanging in his room. Police also discovered a smartphone next to the body with the PUBG game app running on it.
His parents also confirmed to police that they had stopped the boy for playing the game. In another incident, a 20-year-old second-year student of FC College University Lahore also committed suicide after being scolded by his parents for playing PUBG. The victim identified as Jonty Joseph lived in North Cantonment. On the day of the incident, his father allegedly reprimanded him for playing PUBG for a long period of time.
He took the punishment so seriously that he locked himself in a room. The next day, when he did not answer the door, the family broke it open and found him hanging.
The victim also worked part time to help the family financially and after work he would stay busy playing the game late at night.
On May 18, a man approached the Lahore High Court to ban the video game. “The game has a negative impact on children. They become more reckless and violent,” the petitioner maintained.
Developed by a South Korean company, PUBG is a 2017 survival game where players are dropped onto an island to fight against others. The multiplayer game allows players from all over the world to compete against each other or in teams.
Published in The Express Pakinomist, June 28th2020.
