*KATHMANDU: Nepal has banned the hugely popular but brutal online game“PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” over concerns about its impact on children,officials said Friday.*
In the multiplayer game, commonly known as PUBG, players parachute onto anisland and scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill others and survive.The last player or team standing wins.
Nepal’s telecommunication authority issued a circular to all internetservice providers on Thursday to block PUBG on instruction from theKathmandu district court.
“We sought an order from the court to ban PUBG after floods of complaintsfrom parents, guardians and school organisations to block the game citingpsychological impact on teenagers and students,” senior police officialDhiraj Pratap Singh told AFP.
The survival-themed battle game, made by South Korean firm Bluehole Inc,has been downloaded more than 100 million times around the world since itwas launched in 2017.
Parents and educators say the game incites violence and distracts studentsfrom their studies.
Saugat Joshi, 28, an occasional player said parents should instead speak totheir children about better gaming habits.
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“Banning is not a solution. Right now PUBG is viral but next year theremight 10 others, we can’t ban everything,” Joshi said.
Last year, China announced new controls on the number of games that can beplayed online, limited new releases, and imposed rules on underage playersto reduce their screen time.
PUBG is also banned in the Indian state of Gujarat, where dozens of peoplehave been arrested for playing.
A minister in the coastal Indian state of Goa has described PUBG as “ademon in every house”.
