PUBG Mobile, Fortnite banned in Iraq due to “negative” influence

It looks like Iraq is now the newest nation to have banned PUBG Mobile. According to a report by Reuters, the country’s parliament has voted to ban popular online video games such as PUBG Mobile and Fortnite. The parliament cites “negative” influence on the young. “Due to the negative effects caused by some electronic games on the health, culture, and security of Iraqi society, including societal and moral threats to children and youth,” the text of the resolution reads according to Reuters.

The publication adds that the bad was met with discontent with “hundreds” of Iraqi social media users criticising the lawmakers for misplaced priorities. It was further notes that an Influential Iraqi Shi’ite cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr urged the youth to shun the game. “What will you gain if you killed one or two people in PUBG? It is not a game for intelligence or a military game that provides you with the correct way to fight,” he is said to have written in a statement. 

Iraq isn’t the only country to have banned PUBG Mobile. Earlier this month, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority directed all internet service providers in the country to ban PUBG Mobile. In an effort to have the popular battle royale game banned, the Metropolitan Crime Division had reportedly filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) at the Kathmandu District Court on Wednesday. The division believed the game had a negative effect on the behaviour and academics of students.

In India, PUBG Mobile was banned by the city administration of Rajkot and later by the district authorities of Gujarat in Bhavnagar and Gir Somnath. According to reports that followed the ban, ten players were arrested for playing PUBG Mobile in public spots like cinemas and colleges. PUBG Mobile India later released a statement in which it said that it was on the side of PUBG Mobile players and that it would do its best to negotiate with local authorities about the ban. The ban in India has since been lifted. 

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