Obsessed with video game, Pakistani youth shot himself dead

Muhammad Atif boy was obsessed with playing the PUBG game and desperately wanted a smartphone to do so, Daily Times reported, adding that his parents, however, declined to buy him the phone.

Upset over not getting a smartphone, the boy shot himself out of dejection in the Fort Abbas area of the province.

Earlier this year, Pakistan police had decided to send recommendations to the provincial and federal governments for banning dangerous video games including PUBG after youth shot dead his mother and three siblings in the Lahore district.

"Ali Zain shot dead his mother, two sisters, and a brother on January 19, 2022, and hid the pistol," The News International quoting a police spokesperson reported.

However, the Lahore High Court (LHC) dismissed the plea seeking a ban on the online gaming application Players' Unknown Battle Ground (PUBG), in Pakistan.

Repeated defeats in the PUBG game increased the stress and he fired shots thinking that everyone would come back to life like in the game.

However in 2020, Pakistan had temporarily banned the online battle game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, known also as PUBG.

The decision had been taken as the game has been termed as addictive and detrimental to players' health, according to a notification issued by PTA, the country's telecommunications regulatory body.

"PTA has received numerous complaints against PUBG wherein it is stated that the game is addictive, wastage of time and poses a serious negative impact on the physical and psychological health of the children," Pakistan Telecommunication Authority had stated in a Twitter post. (ANI)