Nepal bans popular online battle game PUBG

Nepal has banned the hugely popular online game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), citing "negative effect on the behavior" of children, local media reported.

According to daily Kathmandu Post, the Nepal Telecommunication Authority asked all the internet and mobile service providers on Thursday night to immediately ban PUBG.

PUBG is a popular online multiplayer battle game developed and published by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole.

The game engages a maximum of 100 players, who parachute on an island and fight to be the last one left standing. The players have to search for arms and other equipment after landing on the island and compete to win the game.

According to the daily, the ban came after a police squad from the Kathmandu Metropolitan Crime Division filed a Public Interest Litigation at the Kathmandu district court last Wednesday.

The crime division told the court that the game was "having a negative effect on the behavior and study of children and youths".

"The district court gave permission to ban PUBG the same day," the daily said.

"We received a number of complaints from parents, schools and school associations regarding the effect of the game on children," said Dhiraj Pratap Singh, a senior police officer in Nepalese capital.

"We also held discussions with psychiatrists before requesting the Kathmandu District Court for permission to ban the game," he added.