15 nations around the world have banned online games.
Highlights
- 16-year-old boy allegedly shot dead his mother as she stopped him from playing PUBG
- About 15 countries have either banned or put some sort of restrictions on online games
- There is no clear policy in India which can control and censor online gaming
PUBG killing in India: Psychiatrists have warned parents against their children's mobile addiction, following the murder of a mother by her teenage son in Lucknow when she tried to stop him from playing PUBG.
Why PUBG is in news again in India?
A 16-year-old boy allegedly shot dead his mother as she stopped him from playing the online game PUBG and kept her body hidden in the house for two days. The boy allegedly threatened his nine-year-old sister not to reveal the incident to anyone and used a room freshener to hide the smell of the decomposed body. The boy informed his father, an Army personnel posted in West Bengal, only when the smell became unbearable. The boy, who was addicted to the online game, was enraged after his mother asked him to stop playing and fatally shot her with his father's licensed gun.
Laws against online gaming around the world
About 15 countries like China, Venezuela, Brazil, Japan among others have either banned or put some sort of restrictions on the online games. The basis of the ban is said to be objectionable and violent content. In 2009, Venezuela banned the production, sale and use of video games. Similarly, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Germany, UK, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, UAE, Iran and Pakistan have also imposed many restrictions. In China, people under the age of 18 are only allowed to play online games for a maximum of 3 hours on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays between 8 am and 9 pm. Online games with violent, objectionable and controversial content are also not allowed in Australia.
Laws in India
There is no clear policy in our country which can control and censor online gaming. Although India has banned many Chinese online games like PUBG two years ago, but these games are still available.
What psychiatrists say?
The young mind begins to think that he is getting powerful in the real world also. This illusion of power creates a negative impact on the mind of a child. The most worrisome fact about these games is that there is no end to it. Adarsh Tripathi, assistant professor from the psychiatry department of KGMU, said that in most of these games, after a certain stage, you are given a rank like 'Colonel', 'Brigadier', 'General', which acts as a motivator. The parents need to watch if the child is getting aggressive when he is not allowed to watch a show or play an online game on mobile, laptop.
(With inputs from agencies)
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