Government officials in Bangladesh are calling for a ban of Garena’s Free Fire mobile game and Krafton’s PUBG Mobile, according to a report.
Government agencies such as the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Home Affairs have called for the games to be banned due to their addictive effects on young people, according to a report by AFK Gaming (by way of Bangladesh publication Daily Manab Zamin).
In addition, the issue of these games being too addictive was talked about at length by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, as well as the trade group representing mobile phone users, the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Users Association, which called for immediate action.
Further, those users looking to circumvent a ban by using a VPN might find that option eliminated, as the government has said it would try to find a way to close such loopholes. Ironically, as the government talks about banning the game, Garena has launched a server dedicated to Free Fire in the country.
The conversation is similar to what was being said publicly last year in India concerning PUBG Mobile, but ultimately the game was banned because of the country’s tensions with China, and because it was published by Chinese publisher Tencent. The game was ultimately banned under the guise of national security concerns. Krafton is getting ready to publish its replacement made specifically for India, Battlegrounds Mobile India, in the country soon.
(Photo : Krafton)
