Sudden ban on PUBG, leads to loss of pocket money for youngsters

Mumbai: Youngsters and gaming enthusiasts across the country are having a tough time after the sudden ban of mobile gaming application Player Unknown's Battleground (PUBG).

While many are now heartbroken, there are some for whom the ban has also meant a loss in income. With the prevalence of the game, many youngsters used to generate revenue via online streaming platforms.

While being on the game, the players used to live stream the progress via Facebook watch party and YouTube channels, which would generate viewer engagement, following which revenue could be generated.

Anmol Mishra (23) completed his BSc in computer applications last year. Unlike his batch mates, he didn't settle for a 9 to 5 job, instead, he chose to run his own youtube channel and live stream his gaming experience. Within a year, Anmol garnered nearly 50 thousand subscribers and used to earn a revenue ranging between Rs 10,000-15,000 per month through online platforms.

"I had upgraded my whole gaming system by spending a lot of money. This used to be my bread and butter but everything got ruined in one day," Anmol told FPJ.

Being a multiplayer game, often PUBG championships and competitions used to be arranged by 'Gaming Masters'. Rohit Kakade (24) and Dilshad Singh (22) used to host such competitions via social media.

The duo is popular by the name 'RoDi' among gaming enthusiasts.

"We used to hold competitions where prize money used to be there. We used to generate revenue by charging the participants registration fees," said Dilshad.

While Dilshad is a BA graduate, Rohit had not studied after passing his twelfth. Both of them are clueless about their future now.

"We don't know what to do now. There's no job in the market and the lockdown has made things worse. We can only hope for an alternative." Rohit stated.

City-based software developer and gadget and gaming enthusiast Mihir Deshmukh stated, large number of youngsters across the country used to be dependent on PUBG for employment.

"For software giants, it's easy to lure the youngsters. Many of them used to earn small-time revenue through the game, the money used to distract them from reality," Deshmukh stated.

"These games have a negative impact on their psyche. It's not the kids who are to be blamed, but their guardians. Gaming is not bad but, parents need to keep a check on their children at the same time" Deshmukh stated.

(To download our E-paper please click here. The publishers permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)