Playing online games has become another digital addiction in recent times. WHO has recognised that excessive gaming becomes a disorder. There is this new game – PUBG, which has got a lot of popularity these days in the entire world – including our country.
In PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds or PUBG, 100 people parachute onto a Russian island from a plane. Then comes a circular field, termed as the safe zone which gets smaller with time, and the player has to survive in this circular field and kill the enemies. In the meanwhile, there are many types of guns and other weapons which make the game interesting – as the player has to search for them in the houses and buildings – before he’s rewarded.
I came across a news report about a 15-year-old kid who got sick because of this game. But this is not the end – digital games are impacting relationships as well. According to this report, more than 200 divorce cases have been filed in UK since January 2018. A spokesperson for the company said, “addiction to drugs, alcohol and gambling have often been cited as reasons for relationship breakdowns, but the dawn of the digital revolution has introduced new addictions.”
Another dangerous online game on the list was the Blue Whale challenge. When you play this game step by step, you come across a ‘challenge’ that forces you to commit suicide, and many young kids lost their lives because of this game.
An addiction therapist has said that “Giving your child a smartphone is like giving them a gram of cocaine.”
I request every person reading this to spread awareness about the severity of gaming addiction and gaming disorder.