A teenager’s gruesome killing of his entire family in Lahore has stirred not only an intense discussion about the potential harms of the infamous game, Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds but also put into question the police response to the incident.

As per police reports, a 14-year-old “gaming addict”, shot dead his mother, two sisters and a brother on January 18. During the course of investigation, the boy claimed to have shot and killed them under the influence of the game. The accused then went to sleep in the lower portion of the house. Later, he went into hiding in a village near Faisalabad.

The boy told the police that he thought his family members would come back to life like the game’s characters who resurrect or spawn back after being eliminated during the game. The boy revealed to the police that he had been angry with his mother who frequently reprimanded him for spending hours on the game.

This is not the first case to bring to light the potentially dangerous impact of PUBG on impressionable minds. Earlier, in three other cases during the last year, as many people lost their lives at the hands of their own family members. A couple of such youngsters also committed suicide when their elders tried to bar them from playing the game.

In another case, on January 14, 2020, 13-year-old Hassan Abbas, a resident of Pind Arrayan in Raiwind, had lost his life in Lahore tragically after he was kidnapped and sodomised by a person he had befriended while playing the PUBG. The victim’s body was recovered from Mananwala in Sheikhupura district.

The incident sparked public outrage as scores of residents of Raiwind, together with members of the deceased’s family, took to the streets, chanting slogans against the police over its failure to respond promptly.

Following the incident in Lahore last week, the Punjab Police called for a ban on the game after the teenager confessed to having killed four members of his family after binge gaming for days.

Talking to The News on Sunday, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Fiaz Dev says the decision to recommend a complete ban on dangerous video games was taken because these were “fuelling violence among the youth”. He says that a number of incidents of firing had been reported recently that were found to have been related to video games like the PUBG. That is why, he says, the police have recommended to the government a ban on the online game to protect the youth from its harmful effects. “To me it’s more of a social phenomenon that needs the special attention of parents and families towards their children’s activities and tendencies,” says the CCPO.

Advising the parents to monitor their children and prevent them from engaging in any negative activity, Dev says police alone cannot prevent the growing use of such harmful online games. But he insists that a complete ban on such video games is the need of the hour.

This raises a few questions: Can such incidents be averted if the government puts a complete ban on the use of the game? Having suggested a blanket ban, can the police be exonerated of its responsibility altogether? Can the police effectively deal with violence of this nature?

A senior police officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says that the growing trend of using narcotics among the youth is yet another reason linked to excessive time spent on such games. The contrabands are available in many public as well as private institutions across the city.

“Harmful effects of the game grow when a player is also using narcotics while playing the game,” the police officer says. In most cases where violence took place, he says, the perpetrator of the crime was found to be a drug addict. An effective check on such games can also be maintained if the police play their role in eradicating the menace of narcotics, the officer adds.

Dr Ejaz Warraich, a senior psychiatrist at Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, says the severity of the incidents suggests that the PUBG – in which players are armed with sophisticated weapons and the survivors wins – is highly addictive. It has also proven to have dangerous impact on those who are addicted to it.

Warriach says its diehard players became violent while trying to complete the tasks set in it. A number of studies, he says, have labelled the PUBG an addiction that young men and women might be using to cope with depression and anxiety.

Children need parental supervision, he says. “Online games are now a part of every other child’s experience. Many of these [online games] are not appropriate for the development of a balanced personality.”

At the end of the day, he strongly advises that parents keep vigil over the activities of their children, including use of online games, and monitor their screen time. Parents must also educate their children regarding online content and dangers of coming into contact with strangers through such games.

The writer is a senior journalist and can be reached at ahsanzia155@gmail.com