Weeks after authorities in parts of India lifted a temporary ban on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds‘ mobile version, the game has been completely banned in neighboring Nepal.
According to The Kathmandu Post (via PC Gamer), Nepal’s Metropolitan Crime Division received a number of complaints from concerned parents and teachers, who argued that PUBG‘s addictive nature was distracting children from studies, and was making them “aggressive.” The organization took the issue to court following consultations with relevant stakeholders including psychiatrists, and obtained legal permission to have the game banned.
Nepal Telecommunications Authority confirmed to The Kathmandu Post that it had directed all internet and mobile service providers in the country to implement the court’s orders.
“Parents and schools had complained that the game was affecting their children’s studies and making them more aggressive,” Senior Superintendent of Police, Dhiraj Pratap Singh, told The Kathmandu Post. “When we consulted with psychiatrists, they also said that the violence in the game can make people aggressive in real life.”
The Kathmandu Post got a hold of the letter sent by the Metropolitan Crime Division to the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, which mentions that the ban will reduce PUBG‘s “negative impact on the people playing it.”
“Many other countries have also banned the game citing increasing aggressiveness in students,” reads the letter. “The game should be banned by Nepal as well in order to mitigate its effect on the mental health of the people of our country.”
Interestingly, Singh told The Kathmandu Post that PUBG has caused some “shocking incidents” in other countries that the authorities don’t want to see a repeat of, but the publication doesn’t state which particular incident(s) the police officer is referring to.
Nepalese players have already denounced the ban, arguing that it is “ridiculous” and that parents need to keep an eye on their children’s activities rather than complaining about a video game.
For more on PUBG, check out our previous coverage.
[Source: The Kathmandu Post via PC Gamer]
