Ban on PUBG, a double-edged sword intending to save addicted Indian youth and a slap on China’s face

NEW DELHI: Its been only hours since the central govt banned 118 Chinese-made apps citing them as a threat to the integrity of the country. Among the banned applications, PUBG stands foremost.

Launched in 2018, PUBG Mobile has a huge fan following all over the globe including a massive audience in India. The game’s origins go back to Korea, however, the mobile version of the game is completely controlled by Chinese multinational technology conglomerate Tencent. Over the course of just over two years, the game has had a major impact on the gaming industry and is one of the biggest titles in the e-sports industry.

The PUBG Mobile community has given rise to professional gamers including a number of competitive teams from India representing the country at various global-level tournaments and competitions. PUBG Mobile has also pushed the live game streaming industry in India with a large number of content creators earning good money. This is not the first time we are hearing about a ban on the game as there have been instances in the past where certain cities considered banning PUBG Mobile as it was affecting the mind of the younger audience. There were several cases where students were so addicted to the game that it leads to poor concentration in studies, abuse, stealing, and in some cases suicide.

The government of India previously banned 59 apps followed by 47 more apps in the past couple of months. The reason for the ban goes back to the political tension between India and China arising out of the Galwan Valley attacks that happened in the month of June. Previously we saw popular apps like TikTok, CamScanner, ShareIt, and many others being blocked from the Google Play Store as well as the Apple App Store.

Presumably, PUBG Mobile will be blocked in a similar fashion. This means that the game might be removed from the official app stores. Smartphone users who already have the game installed might still be able to access the game unless the Indian government sends an order to shut down the Indian servers. Chances of a remote removal of the game from smartphones around the country seem very unlikely. Notably, along with PUBG Mobile, PUBG Mobile Lite has also been banned. The ‘Lite’ version of the game was launched as an alternative for fans who have a low-specced smartphone.