The Indian government on Wednesday banned 118 apps, including the immensely popular PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile, Baidu and several VPNs that allowed access to TikTok that was earlier banned.
The action came after the fresh Chinese incursion attempts in Indian territory at Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh.
The PUBG game now has more than 600 million downloads and 50 million active players globally, not including the Chinese mainland where a rebranded version of the game is called 'Game for Peace'.
PUBG has millions of users, especially young, in India.
The ban on PUBG came as it announced the arrival of a new gaming era with its 1.0 version, along with global mobile esports tournament PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC) with a grand prize pool of $2 million (about Rs 15 crore).
Following the ban, hardcore PUBG players are now mourning as PM Modi took away their 'chicken dinners'.
Bryce Remedios, an 18-year-old gamer said, "I used to play PUBG for 12 to 15 hours every day. I used to participate in tournaments as there were so many international players and game challenges. I would play on my iPad and I wanted a new device so that I could play the game at an international level."
Krishanu Ghosal, a gamer and content writer, said, "It is not only a loss to gamers but also the marketing and gaming content industry at large. This game had drawn huge investments from big companies because of its widespread use. Youngsters and even teenagers would spend a lot of time playing this game."
Tanushree Pawar, a gamer and app developer said, "The game was sure as addiction which is why so many youngsters were hooked on to it. But it was also providing a platform for app developers, gamers and designers to create content and enhance their skill. The gaming and online industry has been booming in the lockdown period because everybody is sitting at home and hooked on to the internet."
(With inputs from Ronald)
