Teenager commits suicide after failing at PUBG mission

A 16-year-old boy in Lahore, Pakistan has apparently killed himself after failing to complete a mission in the PUBG game, police officials who investigated the death claimed on Wednesday. 

PUBG is an online gaming platform that has hooked more than millions of youngsters across the world and has become a nuisance for parents and policy-makers alike. 

Police officials claimed the boy was found dead in his home with PUBG running on his cell phone. 

The child’s parents said they had told him not to play the game multiple times and had punished him for his addiction to the game. 

The family has also refused to authorities’ request for a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death. 

His death is the second such tragedy in less than a week, as another teen of the same age bracket also reportedly killed himself under similar circumstances in Lahore after his parents reprimanded him for his PUBG addiction. 

PUBG, short for PlayerUknown’s Battlegrounds, is an online game that is played by millions of kids and adults across the world. The game is set on an island with each player parachuting into the arena and killing other players. The game rewards the last surviving player with “chicken dinner”. 

The game has become infamous for its addiction and has been banned in many countries. India, Iraq, Indonesia, Nepal, China and Jordan have reportedly banned the game for some time and some provinces after parents complained of its addictive gameplay.

The Android Play App Store shows the game has been downloaded more than 100 million times. 

Policy-makers in Pakistan have time and again hinted at banning the shooting game after schools and parents have complained that children waste most of their time playing at the cost of their education. 

Punjab Police, following the death of two teens, has also asked the government to ban the game to avoid similar incidents in the future. 

Last month, on May 18, the Lahore High Court directed the concerned authorities to ban the game in the country after a petitioner claimed that it has caused psychological issues among the players.

However, the government is yet to take any action.