Recently Pakistan government banned PUBG, a worldwide popular online multiplayer game. According to Imran Khan, it is a waste of time and addictive. He also said that it is hurting the physical and psychological well-being of the youngsters of the country.
Right after the ban, thousands of protestors and PUBG lovers came down to the streets holding dharnas on the Sindh-Punjab border and a few other places in the country.
The Islamabad High Court was told by the PTA that the game has many “anti-Islam material” and “explicit scenes.”
However, this is not the first time that the PTA government has banned a game. Back in 2013, Medal of Honor and Call of Duty was removed from the app store. Both the games were war-themed. The reason behind the ban was that the games showcased Pakistan to be a safe place for terrorists and for supporting al-Qaeda.
Another game named Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni was removed from the stores as it contained a lot of sexual content and in 2017.
PUBG was on the hit list for quite some time now. There were at least three death reports, all of them by suicide and the cause being PUBG. According to their families, they could not handle the pressure of not “completing a mission” and hence committed suicide. PTA cited these reports as one of the reasons to ban the game in the country.
Now the question is what will Pakistan gain by banning PUBG? The decision passed by the government has angered thousands of youth in the country. The Ban of PUBG will disrupt many lives as people.
As the lockdown continues due to the coronavirus pandemic, the game served as a source of entertainment for the youth and even for adults. But now that it is banned, it is creating a lot of problems as people are unable to control their addiction for the game.
The decision was taken by the Pakistan government clearly shows that they don’t understand the importance of digital gaming or e-sports. PUBG Mobile happens to be one of the highest-earning game in the world. Gamers in Pakistan expect their government to support them so that they can also develop such games and support the economy of the country. Many professionals are looking for ventures to invest in. But unfortunately, Pakistan won’t even tolerate PUBG even for entertainment purposes.
The youth of Pakistan are expressing their grief and anger on the PUBG ban on different social media platforms. They are using hashtags such as #unbanpubgpakistan and #pubgkajawabdou to show their anger. Not just that but some people are also holding dharnas on roads to protest against the PUBG ban. They want their government to lift the ban. But their efforts don’t seem to be bear any fruits.
The PTA is firm on their decision and won’t lift the ban as they consider the game to be a negative influence on the people of Pakistan. With this decision, the PTA has managed to anger the community.