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Moral Policing At Its Height: Ban On PUBG

It has been months since we saw people growing crazy about this game – Player Unknown’s Battleground aka PUBG. Since I am not that fond of mobile games, I really never bothered to know about it more until I came across the news that the Police Commissioner of Rajkot, Gujarat through a notification has banned PUBG and in consequence of the same has made several arrests. I then hunted the internet for a copy of the notification which I finally got and reading it made me wonder. According to the notification, the game has affected the behaviour, manners, speech and development of the youth and children and, therefore, considering “public safety and security and to maintain law and order”, the police came up with the idea of banning the game. Wow!

Several people caught playing the game had been arrested and jailed though released on bail later. After coming across this I decided to know the ground reality and prepared my own short questionnaire for the alleged “accused persons”. The questions were:

  1. How old are you?
  2. Do you play PUBG?
  3. For how long have you been playing it?
  4. For how much time a day do you play the game in a day?
  5. Why do you play the game? Any specific reason?
  6. Do you feel this is a routine thing for you to do?
  7. Have there been occasions when due to some other urgent work you did not play the game?
  8. Have you ever at any point of time felt like you have been addicted to it?
  9. Where do you generally play the game? At home, public places or others?
  10. Do you think that your routine work has been hampered because of playing PUBG?
  11. Would it be fine for you if there’s no PUBG from tomorrow?
  12. Are you aware of the recent order of ban on PUBG? What are your views upon the same?

The questions were asked to people above 18 years of age and the answers were very interesting. Surprisingly, none of the persons said yes when asked if they felt addicted to the game (I believe they didn’t lie). Every person said that very often they choose their work over the game. None felt that their routine has been hampered because of the game. Mostly they played it at home or their hostels and generally before going to bed as they said every person does something or the other to chill after a long day. And of course, it wasn’t fine for anyone when asked what if there wouldn’t be PUBG from tomorrow.

Some of the amazing answers were like this

“I am 25 years old and I have been playing PUBG for the last two months. I play around 40 minutes a day at home as it is a recreational activity. I am not addicted to it and I don’t feel that it hampers my routine but it would not be fine for me if there is no PUBG from tomorrow. It should not be banned as it is about freedom of speech and expression.”

“I am 19 years old and playing it for around two years. On many occasions, I didn’t play it when I had some other work. I don’t think there should be any restriction unless no disturbance is being caused to anyone by it.”

“I am a 22-year-old student and I play this game as it is a means of entertainment for me. I like the graphics, themes and the girls in bikinis. I play it at my personal place and it in no way hampers my routine. I think banning is not the solution.”

“I am 21 years old and I have been playing for over a year. I think there are other relevant issues to be taken care off than banning PUBG!”

The whole episode would make anyone wonder as to how the young population is being treated in this democratic country. So according to them, an 18-year-old is mature enough to choose the government but not the mobile game they like! I wonder how playing a game can hamper the law and order and public safety. Caring for our kids and even adults to this extent is good but banning is not the solution for sure. We cannot go on to ban each and everything about which there are apprehensions that it is hampering the development of children and youngsters. The parents can be sensitized about harms of allowing their kids to use the phone for playing the game but arresting adults for such petty things and terming it as an offence is not practical at all.

I think arresting creates more negative impact than playing a game. It creates stigmatization for the person arrested and even leads to tagging. Imagine an 18-year-old neo adult being ridiculed at school after facing arrests and jail and being released on bail. Wouldn’t that affect their development and make them violent? What about juvenile offenders (since playing this game is now an offence)? No update regarding juvenile arrest has yet come up but that may be a situation.

This whole episode has made me realize one thing for sure that public authority has all means to control a situation. I wish there was a notification regarding the growing number of cases rape which indeed is a question of public safety, law and order and development of children and youths.

Dear police uncle, please grow up!

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