PUBG wasn’t just a game for the youth

Players feel there isn’t another game yet that could replace it

The banning of PUBG Mobile has left many players devastated. Many connected to the game; some even grew addicted to it.

In the last couple of years, the PUBG community grew so much that it saw tournaments and regular meet up take place, virtually and in person. The average age of the players ranges anywhere from 12 to 50 years.

Malcolm Dias, technical support professional, often attended these tournaments. “I’ve been playing since 2018 and the game has changed a lot since then. What made PUBG different from all the other games is the accessibility of it. There is a PC version of it, but the mobile one is free and anyone with a good Internet connection can play — it didn’t matter which part of the country you belonged to,” he says.

There are various tournaments that take place for PUBG players. Mobile and tech companies have usually been the sponsors as it’s a great way to market their product too.

One such tournament, PUBG Mobile Club Open was conducted online this year due to the pandemic. It saw teams from 15 regions across the globe battle it out.

Malcolm has been part of PUBG Mobile India Series and PUBG Mobile India Tour and has reached the semi-finals.

“There were other smaller tournaments that took place where we have won some money. The higher league ones, obviously had more cash prizes as popular mobile companies sponsored it. Though we haven’t won the large amount yet, it always encouraged us to keep trying.” He used to spend three to four hours a day playing the game, and around tournament days, it would go up to eight hours, for practice.

The way the game is built is what makes it addictive. One can either team up with their friends or with other players connected on the Internet.

Some use this game as a way to unleash their stress. Bryan Antony, social media expert, says, “It wasn’t just a game for me. I was unemployed for the last four months because of the pandemic and PUBG was the only thing that kept me going. At a time when I was fighting panic attacks and depression, I looked forward to playing this game,” he says.

Product designer Abhijith R Nair, on the other hand, felt that it upgraded his skills. He says, “Rather than playing against some AI bots, we could play with each other and upgrade our skills. That was something new to the Indian youth.”

As PUBG is banned by the government, players are exploring ‘Call of Duty: Warzone’ and ‘Fortnight’ as alternatives.

While they are battle games many feel that it has not reached the level of PUBG, in terms of connectivity, graphics and maps.