Here’s Why Banning PUBG Won’t Solve Anything [Opinion]

Let’s find out.

PUBG

You might have already heard about the temporary ban on online multiplayer PUBG. Much has been said about it. However, have you ever thought if this was the right thing to do or is it really the solution we need right now?

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has become the raging topic of debate among the public ever since PTA announced their decision to ban it in Pakistan.

According to PTA,

They have “received numerous complaints against PUBG wherein it is stated that the game is addictive, wastage of time and poses serious negative impact on physical and psychological health of the children.

Following the increase in suicide rates due to PUBG in the past few weeks, the Lahore High Court also petitioned to take action against the game.

However, PTA has also asked the public to share their opinion and feedback on their decision, just to make sure that they have done the right thing.

Let’s talk about the whole situation in detail.

Is Banning PUBG The Only Way Out?

When we are looking for a solution to our problem, the Pakistani government always comes up with one answer – BAN.

Everybody knows that Bollywood is banned in Pakistan. There was one time when Nestle, the food giant had to suspend its production and imports in Pakistan. YouTube, the hub of social media was also banned for a couple of years in the country.

We are not here to discuss the reason behind these bans. That is a topic for another day. But what we do know is what actually happened after these platforms were banned in Pakistan. Pakistani YouTubers got left behind as folks like PewDiePie and others became multi-milionaire celebrities off their YouTube channels. A similar scenario stares us in the face because of the ban on PUBG.

Let us explain.

Like other parts of the world, we have professional gamers from Pakistan too, like Sumail Hasan and Arslan Ash, who go to gaming tournaments and represent our better side. Gaming is their life and they earn money through it. But forget the money. These individuals have given Pakistan the respect that our rulers seem all too eager to squander.

Similarly, PUBG tournaments are also held online and gamers can win prizes based on their performance. The Dew Gamers Arena 2020 is one of the recent examples. All these events showcase a thriving e-gaming culture that ends up benefiting our youth and their families.

Now that it’s gone, there will be fewer opportunities for tomorrow’s pros to make their mark. One hopes this ban is just temporary.

VPN and Proxies

Just like in the case of Spotify and even Netflix once upon a time, people will turn to proxies and VPN to get their fix.

The internet is there and with it, comes a ton of different jugaars, as we like to call it.

 

People will just turn to more sophisticated ways to play PUBG. All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again.

 


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Other Games That Might Be Just As ‘Addictive’ As PUBG

Just type ‘online games’ or ‘battle royale games’ and a plethora of information will be at your fingertips. PUBG isn’t a ‘one-of-a-kind’ game when there are countless others.

So while we are at it, why not ban these games as well because they are just as ‘addictive, wastage of time and (might) pose a serious negative impact on the physical and psychological health of children’ like PUBG?

We think that parents need to be responsible here. Once upon a time, disciplining kids wasn’t really an alien idea as it is now.

Gaming Disorder

It is true. There is such a thing called gaming disorder and its serious. But we also need to be honest with ourselves. Why are children increasingly finding their escape in video games? Are their families or lives too toxic? Is the lockdown to blame?

As a society, Pakistanis have a very poor opinion about serious issues as mental health. We are quick to label victims of depression, anxiety, or any other serious mental health issue as ‘pagal’ (mad). This attitude needs to change on a fundamental level.

We never look at the problem or what might be causing the problem or how we can treat it, but we rather jump to conclusions and love labeling people based on their appearances or their psychological health.

According to WHO a gaming disorder is defined as,

“a pattern of gaming behavior (“digital-gaming” or “video-gaming”) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”

Not everyone who plays PUBG is aggressive, violent, suicidal, or depressed. So blaming a game for the recent teen suicides in the country is unfair. We never know if they might be already suffering from behavioral and emotional issues because they were never diagnosed with it.

And to put it simply, PUBG was a source of entertainment for many ever since we were forced into our houses due to COVID-19. The frustration of staying indoors during the pandemic could also be a reason behind their destructive steps.

What We Need To Do Right Now

Banning the game altogether can be an option for the government but this won’t solve the problem completely. To deal with this issue, our society needs to do better than just run to the courts just because they have forgotten how to talk to their kids.

Educating young minds to differentiate between game and reality can be an effective way out of this whole situation. The government has reached out to social media influencers in the past to raise awareness on various issues so they can do it this time as well.

Many influencers are pretty young and have tons of followers, so if they try to deliver a good message, the targeted audience will be able to relate to and understand it.

And like we said before, parents need to do their bit too. We hope that today’s parents are not too busy sharing fake news and Whatsapp forwards to everyone on their contact list. Their kids deserve attention and their playing times need to be moderated. This really isn’t rocket science.


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What are your thoughts on the ban on PUBG? Do you have any suggestions regarding the solution? Let us know in the comments.