PUBG game exposes children to crime, negative thinking: Scientist

Bengaluru, July 3

PUBG exposes children to a world of crime and negative thinking, a top scientist has warned amid calls in some quarters to ensure that online games, particularly for kids, comply with the best international standards, regulations and practices.

Reports said a 22-year-old man addicted to the multi-player combat game allegedly committed suicide at his home in Maharashtras Yavatmal district last month, while a boy, aged 14, killed self after a nightlong PUBG (PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds) session in Kota in Rajasthan in May.

Last year, a 15-year-old boy from Bhiwandi in Thane district of Maharashtra allegedly killed his elder brother for scolding him over playing PUBG on his mobile phone.

Former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation G Madhavan Nair said on Friday PUBG does more harm than good.

It exposes children to a world of crime and war. It does not enhance the skill or intellectual capability of players, especially children.

It exposes them to all kinds of negative thinking, Nair told PTI when asked to comment on suggestions from some quarters to ban the game.

It is a chance game and there will be a tendency to play until winning, he added. This is an addictive process and waste of time. It only helps to nurture criminal mentality.

Industry body ASSOCHAM said any online game, especially for the children, must comply with the best international standards.

In India, the same best global safety standards should be followed by the gaming companies, an ASSOCHAM spokesperson said.

Information technology industry veteran T V Mohandas Pai said as long as games follow the established regulations and best practices measurably, they need not be banned.

However, the game developers and publishers must be held accountable when it comes to the application of parental controls, age ratings, user data privacy and localisation, identity theft protections and so on, Pai, a former Chief Financial Officer of IT major Infosys Ltd, told PTI.

Critics claim negative impact on physical and psychological health of children, who play PUBG, which they allege, is addictive. PTI