What's in a game?

People have praised the game for its realistic graphics

The latest on the e-sport horizon is a game called Players Unknown Battleground, better known as PUBG, which has taken the Internet by storm. Gamers across the world have been vouching for it and on July 25, Berlin hosted the first international tournament, titled 2018 PUBG Global Invitational. Patrons are hailing it as solid competition to alternatives such as GTA and Fortnite. Their reasons include its innovative features such as the dual option of playing in first-person or third-person perspective, the range of weapons available, realistic graphics, multiple modes such as classic and arcade, and sub-modes such as quick match, mini zone, war mode and sniper training.

The concept of the game is simple - players participate as individuals or in groups and are air-dropped on an island with up to 99 others. The island is teeming with medical kits and ammunition that increase their chances of winning. And the rest is straight-up - you fight till you win, or die trying.

But games like PUBG - which fall under the Battle Royale category, where the victor is the last man standing - have often been criticised for normalising violence. Players disagree, though. They say that combat games instead provide an outlet for pent-up aggression.

Risabh Bhasin

Rishabh Bhasin, 26, a professional creative visualiser by day and gamer by night, believes that everybody cultivates some form of aggression in their minds and that games are a safe way of letting it out. "We work all day and there are many responsibilities that each of us shoulder on a regular basis. I know it sounds aggressive, but in reality you are not affecting anyone's life and yet, you get to explore the path of soldiers and refugees. It's a great experience," he shares, adding, "I love PUBG because it's a unique concept and it connects people from around the world."

Dr Parul Tank, consultant psychiatrist at Fortis Hospital, sounds a warning note, though. "I don't think it helps relieve stress, since it is an aggressive game and will simulate the senses. In fact, studies show that watching or participating in aggressive games that play on violence can cause hyperactivity, reduce impulse control and lead to aggressive tendencies in conflict situations," she says.

Vivan Chakravarty

While that may well be, the lines are clear for 13-year-old student Vivan Chakravarty. A national-level basketball player and a boxer, Chakravarty displays maturity for his age when he remarks, "This is just entertainment. One should know how to manage studies, physical activity and leisure. I don't play PUBG when I am angry. Instead, I take it out on the punching bag."

And as an erstwhile Fortnite loyalist, Chakravarty now feels, "PUBG forever," echoing Bhasin when he praises the game for its range of weapons, graphics and multiple modes. "I have become friends with gamers from America and Hungary and have crossed the 205 limit on my list," he tells us, before referring to the game's tagline - "Winner winner chicken dinner" - and joking, "I don't know how vegetarians feel when they win."

PUBG on your tips:

• Don't run in open areas and change your location after
• you shoot.
• Find the best guns and its utilities in the parachute gifts.
• Keep an eye on the map to know where others are.
• Reload your gun after every enemy is shot down.

Not child's play

• Always drop to locations away from the plane route like prison, shelter, ferry pier and primosk.
• When jumping out of the plane always try going towards 9'o clock.
• When you are in a mid-range or close-range battle try moving left and right.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates