PUBG ban will do more good than harm, say experts

MANGALURU: The Centre’s decision to block 118 mobile applications, including popular gaming app PUBG will do only good to the Indian gaming industry and the youth, said cybersecurity expert Ananth Prabhu.
“When TikTok was banned, we noticed a rise in withdrawal symptoms. This is likely to increase further with the PUBG mobile application ban. However, the ban will help to control unethical practices,” said Prabhu.
“I have had several parents reaching out for help on realising that money — in some cases nearly Rs 20,000 — was debited from their credit cards, without their knowledge. On checking, we found that the many were utilised for in-app purchases made by their children. Most students don’t own credit cards and end up stealing credit card numbers and passwords from their parents and make purchases that would help in crossing game levels faster,” he said.
Further, in PUBG, the dopamine rush happens when they are rewarded for each level. “The gaming industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry which is mostly controlled by China. Cybersecurity is a major challenge, as a player ends up giving certain critical permissions of the device he/she is using and at the same time talking to strangers. Since most of the games are highly violent and has an impact on the brain in the long-run, a ban is welcome, said Prabhu, adding that there is no problem in engaging in neuro exercise or games or those that improve students’ overall performance.
Welcoming the government move, Indian gaming and sports video app Rooter’s CEO and founder Piyush said, “We welcome this move by our government to safeguard Indian users’ data and protect the country against the potential threat these apps pose to our national security. This ban opens up tremendous opportunities for the Indian gaming ecosystem to align their businesses with the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat strategy and also enable gaming and eSports platforms to grow faster.”
Stating that the company anticipated the ban and kept investing in games, he said, “Most of the users and content creators on our platform engage in games other than PUBG. In the last two and a half months, Rooter has witnessed unprecedented growth by adding nearly 3 million users. This ban will further fuel the growth,” he added.
Sanjay Kaushik, managing director, Netrika Consulting India Pvt Ltd, said the move is primarily due to increased concerns over data security. It’s a long awaited and welcome step by the government and most parents will be happy with the ban of mobile PUBG.