Senseless Tragedy In Thane, India Â
A 15-year-old boy in India has killed his older brother after not being allowed to play PUBG. The confrontation began because the suspects older sibling was allegedly scolding him for playing Players Unkown’s Battleground on the phone. His older brother Mohammad Shaikh, had demanded that he stopped playing the mobile game.
Rather than listening to his brother, the young boy allegedly started assaulting Shaikh. He began to repeatedly bang Shaikh’s head against a wall and stabbed him multiple times with scissors. The police and paramedics arrived at the scene and rushed Shaikh to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. According to an Indian news company, the police have opened up the case. The evidence seems very cut and dry and the accused is likely to face serious punishment.
PUBG has already been banned in certain regions of India due to its alleged addictive nature and supposed bad influence on youths. An Indian newspaper company called the Navbharat Times has openly stated that ‘many children have lost their mental balance’ because of playing games like PUBG.
This year the WHO (World Health Organization) has officially declared video game addiction a disease. Much like alcohol or gambling addiction. The WHO could be correct in their assessment. It is certain that horrendous cases such as these are only going to prove their point further. There have also been children who have been sent to rehab over Fortnite addictions. Cases that highlight extreme addictions such as these have seemed to be more common as of late.
Parents keeping a close eye on what their children play as well as limiting their time playing video games is a good way to curtail negative behavior. Anything can become addicting, and video games should be treated no different.