A Lahore police officer has requested the Punjab IG to ban on online gaming application PUBG.

A 16-year-old died by suicide in Lahore’s Hanjarwal after missing a mission assigned to him while playing the game, said the letter which has been penned by SSP Liaquat Ali Malik on CCPO Zulfiqar Hameed’s instructions.

“PUBG is an online multiplayer battle royale game that has gained immense popularity among young people. The game has influenced the young people and changes their behaviour,” he wrote in the letter.

The policeman claimed that the game is affecting children in the following ways:

• Excessive violence triggers aggressive behaviour
• They become addicted to the game
• It causes sleep disruption

The CCPO said that the game should be banned and an awareness campaign should be launched.

PUBG, which has been developed by a South Korean company, is a 2017 survival game in which players are dropped onto an island to battle it out against others. The multiplayer game allows players from all over the world to compete against each other or in teams.

Two deaths by suicide have been reported in Lahore in the last two weeks over the game.

On May 18, a Lahore man approached the Lahore High Court to ban the video game. “The game has a negative impact on children. They are becoming more ruthless and violent,” said the petitioner.