Srinagar, Jan 18: The Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Friday appealed parents, teachers, and civil society in Kashmir to restrain kids from playing ‘Player’s Unknown Battle Ground (PUBG)’, a highly addictive smartphone game.
PUBG is an online multiplayer battle game in which players can develop virtual teams fighting an armed battle in a simulated environment. It is developed and published by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole.
In a statement issued here, a DAK spokesman quoting Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) president and senior pediatrician, Dr Suhail Naik, said that addiction to PUBG is dangerous than drug addiction and students who are playing this game have developed behavioural, sleep and psychiatric disturbances.
“The game is the ‘spoiler of future’ of the young generation and can deteriorate the academic career of scores of addicted students,” the spokesman quoted Dr Naik saying.
Citing the conflict, turmoil and extreme harsh weather as tendency to stick to mobile phones, the addiction to this game, Dr Naik said, has become more concerning than the addiction to drugs.
General Secretary DAK, Dr Owais H Dar, as per the spokesman, said the game should be “immediately banned in order to save the future of young generation”.
“This is a cause of concern as the game is spoiling future of scores of children in Jammu and Kashmir. We get to see youngsters playing the game round the clock and doing nothing else. We request the governor led administration to immediately ban the game in the state,” Dr Dar said.
He added that as the kids are playing this game for longer periods, it can also lead to screen allergy in eyes and sleep deprivation apart from other behavioural changes.
Dr Arshed H Trag, Joint Secy DAK, said that PUBG has confirmed “addictive properties” and is currently the most popular mobile game.
“It is our collective responsibility to save the current generation of students from ruining their lives and future. It is also the moral responsibility of preachers, teachers, doctors and civil society to educate common masses about the devastating outcomes of this game. Some kids have already lost their mental balance because of unlimited time spent on playing it,” he said.
Several cases of PUBG addiction have been reported in J&K, with the most recent dating back to less than a week ago, in which a fitness trainer was admitted to critical care unit of a hospital in Jammu.
Dr Mohd Yusuf Tak, Senior Exec Member DAK said it is pertinent to mention that National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) have reported several cases of addiction to PUBG in Bengaluru.
Developed by Tencent Holdings Limited, PUBG Mobile on Android and iOS is one of the most popular games in India right now. With regular updates and new features, the player base for the game is constantly increasing.