PUBG Mobile is a phenomenon that has taken the mobile gaming industry by storm. However, there are two sides to every coin, and the thrilling gameplay of this battle royale comes at the risk of addiction. In fact, there have been several reported cases of players having to seek medical help to overcome addiction and regain balance in life. Many educational institutes have warned students against excessive gaming, and a university even forbids students from playing PUBG Mobile on campus altogether.
Yet even with all that, PUBG Mobile is still one of the most successful mobile titles of the year. Recently, it has crossed the 30 million daily active users mark, surpassing its rival Fortnite, in addition to amassing 200 million downloads. India is one place where the game is particularly huge. It has even received a TV commercial in the country.
The skyrocketing popularity of PUBG Mobile in India has given rise to persistent concerns regarding the effect that it has on students. And a few days ago, a picture of what appears to be a government notice went viral on various social media sites claiming that PUBG has been banned in the country.
This government notice, titled "Alliance on ban of game PUBG” and dated December 22, seems to be coming from a body called Maharashtra High Court. It claims that PUBG Mobile is to be banned for “creating nuisance” and “spoiling students.”
Understandably, this has caused a lot of confusion for fans of this hit game. But if you are one of them, rest assured. This document is nothing more than a hoax, and here are proofs:
First of all, the format does not follow the rules of any legal notice. The watermark, time, date, and closing all look like a clumsy attempt of imitating an official document. There are several punctuation errors as well, such as the use of ellipsis (three dots) in the conclusion of the first paragraph, or the lack of a period (.) at the end of the second.
Secondly: The language. Numerous grammar and vocabulary mistakes can be seen here. For example, “majestratives” is not a word. It’s “magistrates”. Phrases like “All we have knew” and “legally notices” are also very basic grammatical errors. There is no way that an official government document can be this unprofessional.
And if you need even more proof than that, then a quick Google search will tell you that there is no judicial body called “The High Court of Maharashtra”.
So with all that said, if you are an Indian fan of PUBG Mobile, you can sleep easy. Your favorite game is not going anywhere.