PUBG brings in parental control feature to curb gaming addiction

Moneycontrol News

After issuing a statement last month to work on making a better and friendly gaming experience, PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds aka PUBG has introduced a new feature to curb gaming addiction among minors. 

Tencent, the developer behind the eSport, has introduced ‘digital lock’ in PUBG to reduce gaming addiction and curb cyber bullying. It is essentially a parent control feature wherein users below the age of 13 would require their guardians to unlock the game for them. The new feature would be first introduced in the Chinese version of the app and also in ‘Honour of Kings’, another game by the developer. The new feature comes after the Chinese government’s crackdown on the rise of gaming addiction amongst its youth. The government had announced certain controls on many online games and imposed new rules on gamers under an age group to reduce the screen time and addiction.

The game has also been receiving a lot of criticism in India due to growing cases of addiction and violent behaviour amongst youngsters. Parents have complained about the game’s addictive nature and even sought the game to be banned in the country. Several government organisations had sent a notice to schools in their states to ban the game.

The Delhi Commission For Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) had also issued an advisory about the game and stated the harmful effects of the game that can have adverse effects on children. The game was even banned from schools in Gujarat after parents made several complaints. A Gujarat minister also wrote to the HRD ministry asking them to ban the game immediately.

It was not just parents, but even children who demanded the game to be banned. An 11-year-old from Mumbai appealed to the state and central governments to ban PUBG. He wrote to several government authorities including the Maharashtra CM, IT Minister, amongst others citing the game’s violent behaviour and negative environment that promoted looting, aggression, bullying, etc. which made him feel low and negative. There have been cases wherein suicides, and violent incidents were reported when players were not allowed to play the eSport.

PUBG in its statement had promised that they would take feedback from parents, educators and government organisations to create a safe ecosystem that would enhance the game playing experience. “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 honoured 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!”, the statement read. The digital lock feature has not been rolled out in India yet, but it is expected to be released soon.