Friday, April 12th 2019

Nepal Bans PUBG on Account of Negative Impact on Children

Nepal yesterday moved to ban the online game PlayerUnkown's Battlegrounds, citing negative impact of the game on children and their development. Citing violent content and its effect as the primordial reason for the ban, Sandip Adhikari, deputy director at Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), the nation's telecoms regulator, told Reuters that ""We have ordered the ban on PUBG because it is addictive to children and teenagers."

As part of the ban, all internet service providers, mobile operators and network service providers were instructed to block streaming of the game. Gamers might find ways to circumvent this limitation in order to still be able to play the game; or they'll simply migrate to one of the other Battle Royale games on offer, such as Fortnite or Apex Legends, instead. It's interesting to wonder whether the government of Nepal will keep on chasing the next online game fad one by one or if actual studies on the negative impact of these games are fielded by the Nepalese government.
Source: Reuters
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57 Comments on Nepal Bans PUBG on Account of Negative Impact on Children

#51
R-T-B
SoNic67Of course you don't see the harm. Denial is the first stage.
Of what? You haven't even really defined the issue. My computer "obsession" lead to a career in web journalism and healthy PC side business. Is that unhealthy? If so, I guess I screwed up.

Yes, obsession with anything is an issue if it gets in the way of general life but that's not happening en-masse really. Show me otherwise.

Then, once we decide WHAT is bad about video games, bring some studies to support the idea or simply don't go there. That's how most laws get made. Research (oh god I just cringed a bit, because sadly I know this isn't true).
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#52
lexluthermiester
R-T-BThat's how most laws get made. Research (oh god I just cringed a bit, because sadly I know this isn't true).
Right? In an ideal world...
Posted on Reply
#53
hat
Enthusiast
R-T-BOf what? You haven't even really defined the issue. My computer "obsession" lead to a career in web journalism and healthy PC side business. Is that unhealthy? If so, I guess I screwed up.

Yes, obsession with anything is an issue if it gets in the way of general life but that's not happening en-masse really. Show me otherwise.

Then, once we decide WHAT is bad about video games, bring some studies to support the idea or simply don't go there. That's how most laws get made. Research (oh god I just cringed a bit, because sadly I know this isn't true).
When I was a kid in school, often I'd be playing games instead of doing homework. This led to lower grades, and without any reinforcement, I fell behind in some subjects. That's not to say bad parenting or video games were the issue, though. We all make dumb decisions sometimes, especially as kids. The real problem comes when you never learn how to get your head out of your ass, and 10 years later when you start having to make important decisions, you're still making the dumb ones.

Sonic has a point, though. As a parent you can only do so much. I know this because as a kid I was able to circumvent certain blocks that were put in place to prevent me from doing certain things. Kids today are no different. It's not surprising at all that his kids are still on facebook etc when they're not supposed to be (if at all). So what do you do? Take their phone away forever?

That's not to say to rely on the government to ban everything on a national level, though. If I were an adult living in such a country, I wouldn't be too happy with the idea of PUBG being banned at the national level. I don't even play the game, but still, it's just a game. And what happens when they do take away something I like, because of the children? Children are everyone's favorite martyr... it is up to the parent to raise their child correctly. But, sometimes, even with the best of parents, you can still wind up with rotten kids doing rotten things through their own adulthood.
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#54
Splinterdog
What's disturbing here is that parents, schools and school associations apparently contacted the Nepal police, who then acted on this. It's also said that the police would then arrest anyone caught playing the game, in some bizarre Orwellian scenario.
If true, this is the nub - the abject failure of said parents to take responsibility for their own children, instead of handing off that duty to the state.
Posted on Reply
#56
Sir Alex Ice
Oh my, Nepal has banned the PUBG. They are in trouble now.
Posted on Reply
#57
Ruru
S.T.A.R.S.
Can they have a refund then?
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