Abstract
PUBG is an online multiplayer battle game played in India. It is causing addiction in teenagers and adolescents and they refuse any kind of interruption while playing. We report a college student who committed suicide by hanging when scolded by his parents for playing PUBG on his mobile phone and whose parents would not provide the internet pack recharge for it. There have been other cases in India, inviting a discussion to prevent addiction with a law to regulate its use.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
In: Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PlayerUnknown%27s_Battlegrounds&oldid=957167794 (2020 , accessed 10 June 2020).
2.
Kumar
A.
Why PUBG mobile has become a blockbuster hit in India, www.sportskeeda.com/esports/why-pubg-became-the-blockbuster-hit-it-is-in-india (2020 , accessed 10 June 2020).
3.
Schivinski
B
Brzozowska-Woś
M
Buchanan
EM
, et al .
Psychometric assessment of the internet gaming disorder diagnostic criteria: an item response theory study. Addictive Behav Rep 2018 ;
1 : 176 –184 .
4.Nagpur: PUBG addict girl commits suicide. Nagpur News – Times of India https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/pubg-addict-girl-commits-suicide/articleshow/71301310.cms (2020 , accessed 10 June 2020).
5.Vishakhapatnam . Scolded for playing PUBG, Class 10 student commits suicide. India Today , 11 September, www.indiatoday.in/india/story/student-commits-suicide-scolded-playing-pubg-1598087-2019-09-11 (2019 , accessed 12 June 2020).
6.Reporter S . Scolded over PUBG addiction, teenager ends life. The Hindu , 12 September 2019, www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/scolded-over-pubg-addiction-teenager-ends-life/article29395519.ece (2019 , accessed 12 June 2020).
7.PUBG addiction: 17-year-old commits suicide after being stopped from playing game – Technology News, Firstpost , www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/pubg-addiction-17-year-old-commits-suicide-after-being-stopped-from-playing-game-6954861.html (2020 , accessed 12 June 2020).
8.PUBG addiction: 15-year-old stabs brother for repeatedly interrupting his game – Technology News, Firstpost , www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/pubg-addiction-15-year-old-stabs-brother-for-repeatedly-interrupting-his-game-6908731.html (2020 , accessed 14 June 2020).
9.
12-year-old commits suicide after being scolded for playing PUBG. Hindustan Times , www.hindustantimes.com/cities/12-year-old-commits-suicide-after-being-scolded-for-playing-pubg/story-VpUQID8sLg295hy2QkD3uK.html (2020 , accessed 14 June 2020).
10.Addicted to PUBG? Here’s how to identify if your gaming will come back to kill you – and ways to save yourself. The New Indian Express , www.edexlive.com/happening/2019/sep/25/addicted-to-pubg-heres-how-to-identify-if-your-gaming-will-come-back-to-kill-you–and-ways-to-save-y-8383.html (2020 , accessed 14 June 2020).
11.PUBG addiction: incidents indicate the game is more dangerous than one may imagine. News18 , www.news18.com/photogallery/tech/pubg-addiction-incidents-indicate-the-game-is-more-dangerous-than-one-may-imagine-2306473.html (2019 , accessed 14 June 2020).
12.
Heiden
JM
Braun
B
Müller
KW
, et al .
The association between video gaming and psychological functioning . Front Psychol 2019 ;
10 : 1731 .
13.WHO’s recognition of “gaming disorder” upsets video game enthusiasts, makers, but could usher in necessary reform – Living News. Firstpost , www.firstpost.com/living/whos-recognition-of-gaming-disorder-upsets-video-game-enthusiasts-makers-but-could-usher-in-necessary-reform-4828571.html (2018 , accessed 14 June 2020).
14.Yet another country is working to get PUBG banned. GameByte , www.gamebyte.com/yet-another-country-is-working-to-get-pubg-banned/ (2019 , accessed 1 July 2020).
15.PUBG addiction: A parents guide. Game Quitters , https://gamequitters.com/pubg-addiction/ (2019 , accessed 14 June 2020).
16.
Cao
F
Su
L.
Internet addiction among Chinese adolescents: prevalence and psychological features. Child Care Health Dev 2007 ;
33 : 275 –281 .
17.
Van der Aa
N
Overbeek
G
Engels
RCME
, et al .
Daily and compulsive internet use and well-being in adolescence: a diathesis-stress model based on big five personality traits. J Youth Adolesc 2009 ;
38 : 765 –776 .
18.How PUBG influenced an Indian teen to steal Rs 50,000 from his father. The Mobile Indian , www.themobileindian.com/news/how-pubg-influenced-an-indian-teen-to-steal-rs-50000-from-his-father-25517 (2019 , accessed 14 June 2020).
19.
D’Souza
L
Manish
S
Deeksha
S.
Development and validation of PUBG Addiction Test (PAT) . Int J Ind Psych 2019 ;
7 : 562 –574 .
20.
Samadhiya
KS.
पबजी गेम के लिए इंटरनेट पक रिचार्ज नहीं हुआ तो छात्र ने लगा ली फांसी. Dainik Bhaskar , www.bhaskar.com/local/mp/bhopal/news/student-hangs-himself-if-internet-pack-is-not-recharged-for-pubg-game-127334188.html (2020 , accessed 14 June 2020).