PUBG Mobile has become a massively popular game in India. The addictive free-to-play game, however, has received criticism for allegedly promoting violence and even distracting kids from studies. There have also been demands to impose a ban on the game.
PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds) India has now finally responded to the criticism and promised to roll out features to encourage healthy gaming experience for Indian users.
“We appreciate the support and trust given to us by our PUBG MOBILE players. While we strive to deliver the best possible gaming experience to our fans, we also believe that it is extremely important for us to be a responsible member of the gaming ecosystem. To this end, we constantly work and shall continue to work with different stakeholders, including parents, educators and government bodies, and listening to their feedback on what we can do to enhance the overall PUBG MOBILE experience,” said the PUBG Mobile team in a statement.
“To foster a healthy and balanced in-game environment, we are developing numerous new features and enhancements which enables us to provide an environment for players to enjoy PUBG MOBILE in a rewarding and responsible manner. We are honored to have a passionate community of PUBG MOBILE players in India and globally and continue to welcome their feedback to make PUBG MOBILE the best game ever!,” it added.
ALSO READ: Children’s relationship with PUBG and other online gaming
PUBG in India: Pros
PUBG, which completed one year of its launch earlier this month, has helped revive the gaming industry in India. According to a recent report from KPMG India, the overall gaming industry is set to hit Rs 11,880 crore by 2023.
Another report by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and Kantar IMRB in association with POKKT, a smartphone advertising platform for mobile games, India’s mobile gaming industry is estimated to reach $943 million in 2022.
“We also have post-millennials who are heavy on gaming and smartphone brands are responding to this by pushing devices with greater processing power than before, as a result of which, games like PUBG and Fortnite are here to stay,” IANS quoted Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR as saying.
PUBG in India: Cons
PUBG is facing a long criticism that video games have faced in general. Last year World Health Organisation (WHO) declared gaming addiction has a mental health disorder. WHO described this addiction as “a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour” that becomes so extensive that it “takes precedence over other life interests.”
ALSO READ: PUBG, God of War, Fortnite among games flagged as ‘harmful for brain’
In India, there have been several incidents of the PUBG addiction leading to violence. Recently, a man was allegedly attacked with a knife by his sister’s fiancé after the latter drained out his phone by playing PUBG and could not get a charger. In a separate incident, an 18-year-old Mumbai boy allegedly committed suicide after he had an argument with his family members over buying a new phone for playing PUBG game.
WATCH: ‘PUBG wala hai kya’: When Modi tackled a question on online games



Source: hindustantimes.com