by TasavurMushtaq
SRINAGAR Over the past decade smartphones have revolutionised our lives in different ways and made lives easy. Primarily developed as a tool of communication, the electronic boxes have drawn us more deeply into the virtual world, leaving little for the real one.
When it comes to kids, technology has become a tool to communicate with the rest of the world. Off late, as it has emerged as a source to the alternate classroom, kids have become hooked to the phone. Studies apart, the addiction to play different games have led to a situation which at timers becomes difficult to manage.
In an interesting development, police in Ramban detained two siblings, a brother and a sister who were on the run. As reports reveal, the duo was running away from home in Keller Pulwama after their parents scolded them for wasting their time on PUBG, a famous game played on the smartphone.
Currently, with the police, the duo is expected to be handed over to their family on Wednesday.
Confirming the development, police chief of district Ramban, Haseeb ur Rahman took on to Twitter where he said, “PUBG warriors on run. Ramban police has apprehended two siblings, a brother and a sister, r/o Killer Pulwama who had run away from their home after their parents had scolded them for wasting their time on PUBG shall be handed over to their parents tomorrow.”
Appreciating the role of the police, the locals have urged the authorities to “ban this game” for the larger public good. “PUB G has spoiled the young generation, it should be banned before it’s too late,” said Suriya Mir.
This is not the first case. On July 20, a pall of gloom descended in Qasbayar village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district when a 13-year-old boy committed suicide after his younger brother didn’t let him play PUBG game on a mobile phone.
As reported, the incident happened in Dangerpora Mohalla of Qasbayar village when the duo was playing inside their home on the mobile phone, which probably belonged to their father.
The desperation to play became a bone of contention between the two brothers. Consequently, the elder one gave up and ended his life. He as per the locals had committed suicide by hanging himself. The slain boy was later identified as Asrar Ahmad son of Farooq Ahmad Bhat.
Believed to be the most played online game of all time, PUBG (Players Unknown’s Battleground) is a multiplayer online video game developed by a South Korean company called Bluehole. It was first released for Microsoft Windows in 2017, and its Android and iOS versions came out in 2018. Shortly after its release, it received a large number of downloads, winning the accolade of the ‘Best Game Of The Year’ at the 2018 Steam Awards. In 2019, PUBG mobile reached 555 million players worldwide. The game’s largest market is India with around 116 million downloads, followed by China at 108 million, and the USA at 42 million.
During the current pandemic, as per the reports, the young generation were getting even more addicted to the game.
Rameez Ahmad, the father of a one-year-old boy has always a reason to fight in the evening. A resident of Srinagar, Rameez after coming back home is engrossed with his cellphone and gives the least attention to his son. This results in a fight between the couple. “He is busy playing the game almost for the major part of the evening and night. He doesn’t bother to spend time with his son,” said his wife, Rubina.
A game of violence, wherein the plot just requires one to fire and kill the opponents, parents believe it has impacted the psyche of their children, completely. It has also led to minimum physical activity and social isolation of the growing children.
“When the father is addicted to this game, how can I blame my son,” said Rehana Akhtar, a resident of NaikBagh in Natipora.
Rehana further said that the game is consuming our future and sinking our sources of happiness.
