‘The killer game’

The notorious game PUB-G has claimed yet another life, this time in Lahore after the police deduced that the victim, a 20-year old boy, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Reports indicate that, besides fancying action movies, countless hours of playing such a violent game had significantly altered the boy’s personality after his parent claimed that he would often fight when admonished for playing for such lengthy hours. Feelings of frustration and pessimism, which may have been induced by the game, had gotten the best of him. Besides, one cannot ignore that previous cases are all of similar nature, hence the pattern is obvious. It may very well be the case that the rise of such games in the recent years has induced some form of mental illness in youngsters that provoke them to take their own lives.

Therefore, while the authorities are pushing to ban the game completely, it is essential that psychologists are brought on board to examine the possible side effects, perhaps come up with a diagnosis and eventually provide a treatment. Specialists have although provided some insight claiming that when youngsters are introduced to such violent games during their ‘age of turmoil’ — a time when a lot of hormonal changes are happening in the body, it may cause changes to their psyche. Others have asserted that the prevailing Covid-19 situation and consequent lockdowns have forced teenagers to revert to the game for entertainment as it is easily accessible on their cell phones. Such a situation can, in the future, give rise to a psychological crisis that the country is not prepared for, since the rate of mental illness around the world have surged in recent years.

The authorities need to proceed with caution since the issue is quite volatile because it deals with psychological distress and suicide. An all-out ban may not ameliorate the root cause of the problem and hence a more subtle approach may be needed.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2020.

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