In a letter to PM Modi, an Indian judge Naresh Kumar Laka has sought a ban on BGMI and Free Fire in India by adopting strict rules on online gaming similar to China. Mobile battle royale games in India are extensively examined on the grounds that the young generation is addicted to them, which harms them in many ways.
Earlier, the government had banned the hugely popular PUBG, but the game’s parent company came up with an Indianized version called Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI). The ban, however, was not on the pretext of the repercussions of online gaming.
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Laka highlighted in his letter, “The population of the country applauded your decision in banning the infamous game PUBG Mobile, which has had a disastrous negative impact on children’s development. But, like the earlier PUBG, two comparable apps, Free Fire (Garena Free Fire – Rampage) and PUBG India (Battlegrounds Mobile India), are now having a negative impact on children.”
The judge, who has two children, requested PM Modi to prohibit Garena Free Fire and PUBG Mobile India (now Battlegrounds Mobile India aka BGMI). In his letter, Judge Laka stated that these two games are free to play on Google Play and must be banned at the earliest.
Apart from the ban, Judge Laka urged the government to enact a law to limit a child’s exposure to online games. He strengthened his opinion by stating China’s law limiting children’s access to video games to 90 minutes per day until 10 pm and 180 minutes per day during holidays.
According to him, this step is a crucial measure to support children’s ‘rightful growth.’
