No More PUBG In Gujarat, Government Asks Schools To Take Necessary Steps To Enforce Ban

During the first few months of 2018, if you would’ve asked me what PUBG (Player Unknown’s Battleground) was, I probably would’ve responded with “is it a new pub that’s opening in my town?” But by the time the year came to an end, I was absolutely aware of what a global phenomenon it was.

But, society in general went overboard with their obsession for the game and turned it into everyone’s favourite nightmare. One gym trainer in Jammu was hospitalised because he lost his mind playing it. VIT had to ban it in their premises to preserve the atmosphere of the hostels. And now Gujarat is planning to do something similar as well.

According to Times Now, Jagruti Pandya, chairperson of the Gujarat child rights body, has said that the National Commission for Protection of Child Right (NCPCR) has recommended a countrywide ban on PUBG.

Based on that advice, on Tuesday, the Gujarat government issued a circular asking district authorities to ensure that the ban is implemented. In addition to that, a similar notice was issued by the state’s primary education department, after a recommendation by the Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

The circulars directed the District Primary Education Officers to take every and any step to enforce the ban on PUBG in primary schools (who’s even allowing those students to bring mobiles into the premises in the first place?). And the primary reason for issuing the ban was because the authorities were of the opinion that children were getting addicted to the game and it was “adversely affecting their studies”.

Reportedly, studies have shown that a PUBG fan spends 8 or more hours in a week on an average in India. The survey also showed that 52.2% preferred playing at night. And that means that Jagruti Pandya wasn’t making assumptions out of thin air. She said,

“The NCPCR had sent a letter to all the states and recommended a ban on the game. All the states are required to implement it. Looking at the negative effects of the game, we had recently sent a letter to the state government recommending a ban on the game.”

Now, on one side, it’s true that during formative stages of one’s life, if they spend over 8 hours playing a game, then it’ll have a negative effect on them. However, on the flip-side, India’s reaction to any ban has usually been quite the opposite, with people gravitating even more to the thing that has been kept out of reach. So, let’s wait and watch how the situation in Gujarat unfolds.

What’s your take on the whole PUBG craze in India? Do you think we need be put in check? Or we should be allowed to exercise our free will? Comment and let us know.

Cover Image Source: 1, 2, 3