'PUBG' online game addiction lands fitness trainer to hospital, sixth case in row in Jammu

Jammu, Jan 9: The PUBG online game addiction has landed a fitness trainer in the hospital while it was reported to be a sixth case in a row in this winter capital of the state.

As per reliable sources, a fitness trainer (name not disclosed), got addicted to play PUBG online nearly ten days ago and ultimately he was admitted to the hospital when after completing one of the rounds, he started hitting him with blows and injured himself.

“The patient is unstable at the moment and has partially “lost” his mental imbalance,” a doctor (neurologist) treating him, pleading anonymity said.

He said that he is recognising the people but still not in conscious and his mind is completely under an influence of ‘PUBG’ game.

“He is under observation and we have started the treatment. We are hopeful that he will be fine in days,” said a doctor.

However, hospital sources added that it was the sixth case in a row reported in the winter capital, adding, “these are the case that has been examined and diagnosed after the patients were brought to the hospital but we apprehend that that there might be many other such cases existing around but either left ignored or not being understood by the families.”

The doctors however, have appealed to the people to keep watch on their children especially when they prefer to sit alone and operate mobile phones for long hours.

“The night hour mobile use should not be ignored and if possible, the cellphones should not be in the custody of their children during night time to prevent them from entering into trauma, which could be fatal if remains unchecked,” they added.

Meanwhile the locals have also appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to raise the concern at the right corner and get such kind of “life threatening” online games banned in the state and the country has well.

Pertinently China's Online Gaming Ethics Review Committee last year in December has reviewed 20 games for containing “ethics risks” and nine of these games have been reportedly banned including “Fortnite” and “PUBG”, whereas corrective action has been proposed for the remaining 11.

“Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds” (PUBG) is an online multiplayer battle royale game developed and published by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole.

In the game, up to one hundred players parachute onto an island and scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill others while avoiding getting killed themselves.

The available safe area of the game's map decreases in size over time, directing surviving players into tighter areas to force encounters. The last player or team standing wins the round.