PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has caused a lot of noise recently. Some people seem to be playing it for hours losing track of time and it has raised concerns amongst parents, schools, colleges and even governments at this point. You will come across news articles such as Man Leaves Pregnant Wife Because of PUBG Addiction and 20 Year Old Boy From Telangana Dies While Playing The Battle Royale Game and much more. But, Is PUBG ban really the solutio n?



Currently, the game is banned in China because it ‘harms mental health’. and PUBG players in India are being arrested just for playing the game. Parents in Nepal are approaching Nepal police and want the government to ban it like in India and China. Same with UAE parents.

Video Game Addiction, is it even real?

Well, the research is ongoing. There’s a term called “Internet Gaming disorder”. A study published in American Journal of Psychiatry found out that 0.3 to 1.o of the population might qualify for a potential diagnosis of the disorder. But the research and debate are ongoing because most people who play video games don’t exhibit these symptoms and excessive gaming might rather be a symptom of an underlying problem such as depression or anxiety.

“Adding video gaming to the list of recognized behavioral addictions could help millions in need. It could also pathologize a normal behavior and create a new stigma.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

According to this Psychology Today article, a Dutch Study found out that lack of social skills caused excessive gaming behavior and the reverse was not true. Loneliness seemed to actually result in excessive gaming.

So, is banning PUBG or any other game really a s olution?

Lack of successful experiences in life, social phobia, and low parental support can cause a lot of problems, not just video game addiction. There is a term called Biblomania which is a symptom of OCD (obsessive–compulsive disorder) that results in the hoarding of books to the point where social relations and health is damaged.

Someone out there in the world is addicted to writing, reading, masturbating, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Youtube or whatnot due to the underlying mental health issues. I think the right thing is to treat the underlying mental issue rather.

Also, PUBG is not the only video game in the world. Before PUBG was popular there was a clash of clans (COC). We would come across news such as COC addiction leads man to fake cancer. You would come across news of people murdering people over video games.

Ban is an excuse. It doesn’t solve anything. A VPN can solve the problem of those who want to play PUBG. Even if you ended up banning all the servers, they would simply find another video game. If you ban all the video games, they would find a new unhealthy obsession such as gambling.



The proper way to go about it is to find out the underlying reasons behind the obsessive behavior and treat that instead.



I’m sorry to say this but

Dear parents,