Is Banning PUBG a Good Initiative?

If we want to judge something, a rational mind would always take a two-sided approach i.e. to see the pros along with the cons. We cannot judge something based solely on its defects. If that were the case, I’m sure a lot more platforms along with PUBG would go down and get banned, for instance, the education system that puts a lot of bulk on students to the point that we break down under its crushing weight and contemplate ways to get out of it and get free. In easy terms, we start thinking about letting go, about committing suicide!

The ban on PUBG is a bad initiative and here are some points that I would like to argue upon, based on my statement.

1. PUBG is a source of income:

Yes, this is true! There are hundreds of live streamers and e-sport players who make income out of playing this game. You are destroying a lot of people and households and thus, in turn, it becomes the government’s responsibility to provide for them.

2. PUBG is a coping mechanism:

Depression is one of the worst things that could happen to any person in a society. PUBG is not only a video game for entertainment but it also provides a lot of us relief from our depression. Not a single school college or university in Pakistan has a mental health counselor and if the govt. is so much concerned with our mental health so as to ban PUBG and rob us of our stress release, I think it also becomes the Govt’s duty to provide us with mental health counselors the moment they shut down this game, not even a single minute late.

3. PUBG is a savior of the ills of our society:

Did you know that in Pakistan, more than 800,000 people are addicted to drugs and they happen to be under the age group starting from 15! PUBG not only distracts you from your anxieties, but it also keeps you accompany and thus prevents you from going out which in turn helps to stop a person from indulging in wrong deeds. Isn’t it better to become an esports addict than a drug addict? Regardless of the fact, if the government still decides to ban PUBG than it also depends upon them to rightfully shoulder the responsibility of keeping our youth far away from drug addiction and take steps for its immediate eradication just like they would do with the game because, after all, we and our health is the priority right?

4. PUBG is an international platform to represent Pakistan:

All of us are Patriotic Pakistanis who love to see our country get recognized and praised for the talent that it possesses. Weren’t we all just thrilled when Arsalan Ash won that Tekken tournament? Of Course, we were! who wouldn’t be? Each of us has a deep longing to represent and make our country proud but why does it seem like every time we take a step forward, there are situations like these that drag us three steps back!

5. PUBG SAVES US FROM SUICIDE:

Shunning all the claims made upon a harmless game, I would say that PUBG is not the cause for suicide, PUBG doesn’t make us stress ourselves or even think negatively. I would like to give a new perspective to the people of our country that PUBG is actually a game of hope where you fight your enemies to protect yourself and your partners. You help your partners by reviving them and it shows just how much they need you. It shows that your partners (they can be your family too) need you or they would not be able to make it without you. Of course, the excess of everything is bad, so there’s this feature in the game which notifies you to take a break every 120 minutes. How would a game that is concerned so much about our health and well-being like this, compel people to kill themselves, I would never understand because after all, it’s all about how you perceive it! It’s all about how you think.

If you look at a glass half full of water and think that it is half empty, it is not the glass’s fault and thus breaking that glass would not solve your issue. Our negativity cannot be solved if we destroy everything that it is directed at, rather we should look at the reasons why we are thinking negatively in the first place. The Mental health problems in Pakistan are real and alarming but the solution that is being taken is not the right one because let’s be honest, we all know, and the govt. knows it better than all of us that the players are still going to play using VPN or whatever means that they find possible even if the game gets banned.

So, let’s ask ourselves, is there any reason or validation left now behind this ban?

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the blog are the writer’s own opinion.  News will not be held responsible for any kind of discrepancy.