<p>PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG) has been in the news ever since the online game was rolled out in September 2017.</p>.<p>With more and more youngsters getting hooked to the game, attempts to curb the addiction are also being made. </p>.<p>Last week, Twitter was flooded with screenshots of a pop-up box showing a health reminder alert.</p>.<p>The alert restricted gameplay after six hours for Indian PUBG Mobile players. They could resume playing 24 hours after receiving the health reminder. </p>.<p>Indian players were outraged, and PUBG soon apologised for what it called an ‘undisclosed issue’. Metrolife spoke to PUBG players and an expert to understand the controversy.</p>.<p>“I think PUBG limiting game time to six hours a day is fair but gamers will find a way to cheat the system and play the game for however long they want,” says Kriti Subba, analyst and gamer. </p>.<p>There was a time Kriti used to play PUBG for four to five hours a day.</p>.<p>“I slowly started losing interest because the graphics in the phone version were not up to my expectation. I used to mostly play for my friends,” she says. </p>.<p>Bhandavya Gowda, team coordinator at GrabTaxi, has been playing PUBG for about five months.</p>.<p>“I play every day but it is only on weekends that my game time increases. PUBG is no doubt an addictive game; people tend to get hooked after just a couple of levels,” she says.</p>.<p>She has seen how it makes players forget even to drink and eat. </p>.<p>“Anyone playing any kind of online game should be responsible and not get into the habit of continuous gaming,” says Bhandavya.</p>.<p>Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor of clinical psychology, SHUT Clinic (Service for Healthy Use of Technology), Nimhans, sees eight to 10 cases of people with PUBG addiction every week.</p>.<p>“The players are predominantly in the age-group of 15-20 but we do see 11-14-year-olds too. Most spend seven to 10 hours a day and that involves playing the game as well as streaming videos on YouTube to improve their skills,” he told Metrolife. </p>.<p>This affects their sleep time and leads to other problems such as loss of appetite and stress. </p>.<p><span class="bold">Are Indians prone to digital addiction?</span></p>.<p>“This is a problem across other countries too. The age-group getting addicted to online gaming remains the same across countries,” Sharma says. </p>.<p>Though PUBG is currently ruling, a few years ago, games such as ‘Clash of Clan’ held a similar sway on players. Sharma says a game can become popular because of peer pressure.<br />“Having a time limit will have positive implications,” he says.</p>.<p><span><strong>What docs do</strong></span></p>.<p>- Assess gamers on severity of addiction. </p>.<p>- Based on assessment, they give feedback.</p>.<p>- Tell gamers: ‘With lifestyle balance, you can still play.’</p>.<p>- Stress importance of breaks in game sessions.</p>.<p>- Advise gamers to blink, move head, wrist and ankles. </p>.<p>- Encourage parents to spend time with children.</p>.<p>- Introduce children to offline hobbies and interests.</p>.<p><strong>Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, SHUT Clinic, Nimhans</strong></p>
<p>PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG) has been in the news ever since the online game was rolled out in September 2017.</p>.<p>With more and more youngsters getting hooked to the game, attempts to curb the addiction are also being made. </p>.<p>Last week, Twitter was flooded with screenshots of a pop-up box showing a health reminder alert.</p>.<p>The alert restricted gameplay after six hours for Indian PUBG Mobile players. They could resume playing 24 hours after receiving the health reminder. </p>.<p>Indian players were outraged, and PUBG soon apologised for what it called an ‘undisclosed issue’. Metrolife spoke to PUBG players and an expert to understand the controversy.</p>.<p>“I think PUBG limiting game time to six hours a day is fair but gamers will find a way to cheat the system and play the game for however long they want,” says Kriti Subba, analyst and gamer. </p>.<p>There was a time Kriti used to play PUBG for four to five hours a day.</p>.<p>“I slowly started losing interest because the graphics in the phone version were not up to my expectation. I used to mostly play for my friends,” she says. </p>.<p>Bhandavya Gowda, team coordinator at GrabTaxi, has been playing PUBG for about five months.</p>.<p>“I play every day but it is only on weekends that my game time increases. PUBG is no doubt an addictive game; people tend to get hooked after just a couple of levels,” she says.</p>.<p>She has seen how it makes players forget even to drink and eat. </p>.<p>“Anyone playing any kind of online game should be responsible and not get into the habit of continuous gaming,” says Bhandavya.</p>.<p>Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, professor of clinical psychology, SHUT Clinic (Service for Healthy Use of Technology), Nimhans, sees eight to 10 cases of people with PUBG addiction every week.</p>.<p>“The players are predominantly in the age-group of 15-20 but we do see 11-14-year-olds too. Most spend seven to 10 hours a day and that involves playing the game as well as streaming videos on YouTube to improve their skills,” he told Metrolife. </p>.<p>This affects their sleep time and leads to other problems such as loss of appetite and stress. </p>.<p><span class="bold">Are Indians prone to digital addiction?</span></p>.<p>“This is a problem across other countries too. The age-group getting addicted to online gaming remains the same across countries,” Sharma says. </p>.<p>Though PUBG is currently ruling, a few years ago, games such as ‘Clash of Clan’ held a similar sway on players. Sharma says a game can become popular because of peer pressure.<br />“Having a time limit will have positive implications,” he says.</p>.<p><span><strong>What docs do</strong></span></p>.<p>- Assess gamers on severity of addiction. </p>.<p>- Based on assessment, they give feedback.</p>.<p>- Tell gamers: ‘With lifestyle balance, you can still play.’</p>.<p>- Stress importance of breaks in game sessions.</p>.<p>- Advise gamers to blink, move head, wrist and ankles. </p>.<p>- Encourage parents to spend time with children.</p>.<p>- Introduce children to offline hobbies and interests.</p>.<p><strong>Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, SHUT Clinic, Nimhans</strong></p>