Chicken dinners in PubG Mobile are great. Out of a 100 players parachuting onto an island, you are the last one standing after endless rounds of bullets, grenades and driving. But not at the cost of one’s mental stability. A fitness trainer in Jammu reportedly had to be hospitalised after his PubG addiction turned into self-harm. It’s the sixth such case reported in Jammu, where the fitness trainer got addicted to the popular online battle-royale game after playing it for just ten days. He was admitted to the hospital after he started hitting himself with blows after completing one of the rounds.
The neurologist who is treating the patient told UNI that while he can still recognise people, he is not quite conscious and is still under the influence of the game. The doctor claimed he has “partially lost his mental balance”.
The locals have appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Satya Pal Malik to take action and get such “life-threatening” online games banned in the state and country. Notably, PubG Mobile, Fortnite and 18 other games were pulled up by China’s Online Gaming Ethics Review Committee for posing “ethical risk”. The committee banned nine ragingly popular online games (PubG and Fortnite included), while suggesting correctional measures for the remaining 11.
Earlier, a 15-year old boy was reportedly treated for PubG addiction. The boy would reportedly game till late at night and started missing school.
Video game addiction is nothing new. Multiple reports over the years across the world have indicated people do get addicted to playing video games, disrupting their daily lives and sometimes even causing harm to themselves and others. There has been a sharp decline in the youth playing outdoor sports with many children now finding themselves more in front of a screen than out in the field.
However, there have been many counter reports published as well claiming video games are not harmful by themselves. It’s the ungodly hours people spend playing a game or the lethal reactions people have after losing in a game that is actually more harmful.
