PUBG gets banned in yet another South Asian country

Just over a couple of weeks ago, we reported that India has banned PUBG citing its violent impact on children, now the government of yet another South Asian country, Nepal has banned the battle royale game.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is one of the most popular and addictive smartphone games around the world and authorities and parents in Nepal are worried that kids and teenagers could get mentally affected by it. Citing the potential threat to the young generation, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) issued the ban at the request of the country’s federal investigation agency.

Deputy director NTA, Sandip Adhikari stated that while there haven’t been any incidents stemming from the game specifically, parents do have concerns that it was distracting children from school work or other duties. The NTA has ordered internet service providers (ISPs) and mobile providers to block access to the game. Chief of Metropolitan Crime Division (MCD) Pratap Singh states;

“Parents and schools had complained that the game was affecting their children’s studies and making them more aggressive. When we consulted with psychiatrists, they also said that the violence in the game can make people aggressive in real life.”

In its efforts to seek a banning order on PUBG, MCD turned to the Kathmandu District Court yesterday. The district court granted the request, with the MCD sending a letter to the NTA that same day.

Meanwhile, PUBG has a large user-base in Pakistan and apparently, Pakistani govt is also worried about the impact of this game, that’s why ISPR has released PUBG copycat, Glorious resolve.