wraggster
July 15th, 2019, 16:32
Add Jordan to the list of countries where PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds isn't welcome. According to Jordanian outlet Roya News, the country's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission banned PUBG last week, and is currently planning to ban a half-dozen other games, including Fortnite (https://en.royanews.tv/news/18021/2019-07-10).
The PUBG ban came into effect on Thursday, and over the weekend the TRC released a statement (http://trc.gov.jo/DetailsPage/TRC_Ar/NewsDetailsAr.aspx?ID=558) explaining the action came after a wave of complaints from citizens and authorities alike. However, the TRC said one of its main reasons for implementing the ban was a World Health Organization study that classified PUBG as a violent game leading to addiction and social isolation, further stating that children who play violent games are more violent than their peers.
We are not aware of any such study, although a 2014 WHO advisory group report on the public health implications of electronic entertainment (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/184264/9789241509367_eng.pdf;jsessionid=6F08221DFD64BE5E2 039D32B4F5020B8?sequence=1) briefly expressed concerns about violent games having adverse effects on children. And while WHO's recent gaming disorder classification (https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-05-25-world-health-organisation-makes-gaming-disorder-a-recognised-illness) does indicate that social impairment could be part of a gaming disorder diagnosis, it makes no mention of violent games. Furthermore, to our knowledge, WHO has not classified any specific games as violent.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-07-10-pubg-banned-in-jordan-fortnite-expected-to-be-banned-as-well
The PUBG ban came into effect on Thursday, and over the weekend the TRC released a statement (http://trc.gov.jo/DetailsPage/TRC_Ar/NewsDetailsAr.aspx?ID=558) explaining the action came after a wave of complaints from citizens and authorities alike. However, the TRC said one of its main reasons for implementing the ban was a World Health Organization study that classified PUBG as a violent game leading to addiction and social isolation, further stating that children who play violent games are more violent than their peers.
We are not aware of any such study, although a 2014 WHO advisory group report on the public health implications of electronic entertainment (https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/184264/9789241509367_eng.pdf;jsessionid=6F08221DFD64BE5E2 039D32B4F5020B8?sequence=1) briefly expressed concerns about violent games having adverse effects on children. And while WHO's recent gaming disorder classification (https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-05-25-world-health-organisation-makes-gaming-disorder-a-recognised-illness) does indicate that social impairment could be part of a gaming disorder diagnosis, it makes no mention of violent games. Furthermore, to our knowledge, WHO has not classified any specific games as violent.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-07-10-pubg-banned-in-jordan-fortnite-expected-to-be-banned-as-well