Police in the western Indian state of Gujarat detained 10 teenagers for breaking a newly announced ban on playing the online video game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) – the forerunner of global smash Fortnite.
The ban was announced last week by local authorities to combat what they called the spread of “violent traits” in kids playing the game.
The detained teenagers were taken into custody but later released with a warning, said Manoj Agrawal, police commissioner of Rajkot city in Gujarat on Thursday.
“Due to these games, the education of children and youth are being affected and it affects the behaviour, manners, speech and development of the youth and children,” an order by local police dated 6 March said.
Police in Gujarat have not banned Fortnite, a popular rival to PUBG developed by US-based Epic Games.
PUBG, made by South Korean firm Bluehole Inc, is a survival-themed battle game that drops dozens of online players on an island to try to eliminate each other.
Asked in a public debate in January about the negative effects of video games on kids, the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi said: “Was he playing PUBG? Like everything else, technology too comes with its positives and negatives.
“As parents, we must guide our children to get the most from technology. We should encourage their curiosity to learn new things.”
Fortnite and PUBG, each backed by Chinese internet company Tencent, are credited with helping take video games to new audiences.
Bluehole and Epic Games did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
