EVEN though I have experience in and knowledge about weapons, I was surprised at the level of information my friends’ younger brother, who is just 12 years old, had about some advanced weapons. When I asked him more about weapons, he told me about their effective range, number of rounds they hold in their magazines, their manufacturing countries and such other details. It was alarming that the child had learned it while playing PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds (PUBG), an online game that is a craze among children.

Such games have the potential to lead to dangerous psychological outcomes. In August, a convoy of foreign diplomats was attacked by terrorists in which one police official lost his life, while two were injured. Investigations revealed that PUBG chat room was used to plan the attack. Similarly, in a blast in Lahore’s Anarkali Bazaar, three people had lost their lives. When one of the planners of the attack was caught, he revealed that PUBG was used for recruitment purposes.

These are just two incidents that show how such gaming applications are used for violent activities and are spreading terrorism in the world. Playing such games can badly damage the young generation.

There is a dire need to pay attention to the gaming industry, like introducing more filters that can detect prohibited content. By doing so, we would be saving our children from becoming victims.

Asad Khan
Bannu

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2024