PUBG Mobile ban in India: Developers finally respond, ease parents' worries

PUBG Mobile has won global recognition in a short period of little over a year, but the game has hit multiple obstacles on the lines of having an adverse effect on its players along the way. From an 11-year-old boy appealing to the ministers and even courts to ban the game in India, to a state-wide ban on PUBG Mobile across all primary schools in Gujarat, PUBG Mobile met its worst nightmares despite soaring success in India.

There are several other instances where PUBG Mobile is held responsible for things like gaming addiction, drawing a wedge between families and even being called "a demon in every house." Events like PUBG Mobile eSports championships, which offer players a professional platform to demonstrate their skills while winning handsome rewards and putting India on the global map of eSports hosts, and generating revenue source for streamers, haven't been enough to shine a positive light on the game.

Despite the steady flow of criticism towards PUBG Mobile, its developers Tencent Games remained mum on the sensitive topic. As PUBG Mobile ban woes continue, the developers have finally spoken in this regard, which should eventually ease parents' worry and answer critics in a responsible manner.

"We appreciate the support and trust given to us by our PUBG MOBILE players. While we strive to deliver the best possible gaming experience to our fans, we also believe that it is extremely important for us to be a responsible member of the gaming ecosystem. To this end, we constantly work and shall continue to work with different stakeholders, including parents, educators and government bodies, and listening to their feedback on what we can do to enhance the overall PUBG MOBILE experience," PUBG Mobile said in an email statement.

Since the statement doesn't fully diffuse the situation, PUBG Mobile has more to add, which highlights some real efforts that will be put in place to encourage "responsible gaming."

"To foster a healthy and balanced in-game environment, we are developing numerous new features and enhancements which enables us to provide an environment for players to enjoy PUBG MOBILE in a rewarding and responsible manner. We are honoured to have a passionate community of PUBG MOBILE players in India and globally and continue to welcome their feedback to make PUBG MOBILE the best game ever!" PUBG Mobile added.

PUBG Mobile hasn't shared the details of "numerous new features and enhancements" that will help push forward a healthy gaming environment, we expect something on the lines of players being able to check how many hours they spend playing the game. A similar feature was introduced by Facebook recently, which shows "Your Time on Facebook" over the past week.

While introducing these new features, PUBG Mobile must also ensure that it does not lose players as it is not the only battle royale game out there. But it is good to see PUBG Mobile, unlike other games, take the initiative to foster responsible gaming.