BENGALURU: The past ten days have seen three incidents involving youngsters playing the wildly popular game Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds or PUBG indulging in violence or self-harm. Two players killed themselves as their phones were taken away, while in a spine chilling incident, a boy chopped his father to pieces for not allowing him to play.
There has been a lot of focus on addiction to the ‘battle royale’ game, in which 100 players are parachuted into a restricted area and have to kill everyone else to win the round. According to medical health experts, the number of children and young adults who are addicted to the game is alarming. According to Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), who works with technology addicts at the institute’s SHUT Clinic (Service for Healthy use of Technology), seven out of ten visitors every week are PUBG addicts.
“I have seen a drastic increase in the number of children coming to SHUT. PUBG needs to be tackled soon and in a better manner,” he explains.
But what makes this game so addictive in an age when first-person shooting games are so easily accessible? Gaming experts say that it is the freedom to play anonymously against any player from across the world. In the absence of systematic studies to gauge the extent of the problem, experts still insist that the number of cases involving violence, suicides and accidents is still a cause of worry.
“The mobile version is so easy to get hold of, it is possible for children to spend money as well. There are in-game purchases to help the character power-up, rank up or open loot boxes and unlock new weapons,” says Dr Khusboo Deewani, Consult psychiatrist, Spandana Hospital Rehabilitation Center.
“This kind of spending is psychologically similar to gambling. Dr. Mahesh, the founder of Spandana points out, “Surviving a round means that 99 other people did not. It is a huge adrenaline surge. Added to this is the audio-visual features and marketing tactics through online gaming events.”
For children especially, playing this game can cause certain cognitive and perceptive changes in the way they observe the real world. “A violent game like PUBG can trigger aggression, emotions and disruptive behaviour. Because you are playing with real people and can interact with them, players, especially children, lose the distinction between real and virtual. Ultimately there is a huge effect on the mental health of the child. The game allows you to gang up and harm another player -- a dangerous behaviour they may take into the real world,” Dr Mahesh added.
The violence against those who take away the game from children, mostly parents, also has them worried. “It’s like your child’s hand is slowly slipping from yours in a crowded place. Every time I see my child with his mobile phone playing, I have prayed to God to get my son out of this addiction,” said Dhriti N Shankar, mother of a gaming addict.
Changes extend to an erratic sleep schedule, cutting of social ties, loss of weight and general lack of interest in family and social life.
However, Dr. Manoj explains that not all children get addicted and not all addicts display violent behaviour. Community surveys done by his team show that addiction is highest in the age group of 15 to 35 years. “Of the cases we see most of them are boys. So far it is only one girl who has come to us for seeking help for gaming addiction. The rest are all boys. But it doesn’t mean that girls are not getting addicted to this,” he added.
Mental health professionals explain that there could be many factors to addiction, one of them could
also be the fact that your son/daughter is the only child, is the centre of attention or is ‘pampered’. This often leads to a situation where the parents would not have enforced any rule-bound behaviour. This also happens many times as compensatory behaviour from the parents, i.e., when they are not able to give time to the children correctly.
So should PUBG be banned? Some cities and countries have tried it. But its relentless march towards signing on more players continues. While the game makers have released advisories and rules, doctors say they are easily ignored. “For instance when the game automatically stops the player from playing after certain hours, the user then logs in with a different identity and continues,” a senior doctor said.
Treatments are elaborate and involve several therapies. Both the child as well as the parents are counselled together.
“NIMHANS does sensitisation programs at different schools. But more schools need to come forward and have workshops for both parents and children,” Dr Manoj suggested.