PUBG takes hold in Kuwait's gaming communities

I jump off the plane carrying us to Sanhok Island with 99 others and have only 35 minutes to find two guns and enough ammo to survive. I see two parachutes glide towards me and run for cover while frantically searching for weapons. Footsteps appear on the map, someone is close by. I jump from the window of the house and shoot him from behind; 1 dead, 50 to go till I get my chicken dinner.

You might think I'm dreaming. Only the sand at my feet reminds me I'm in Kuwait. Actually I'm gaming - using my mobile on the bus, waiting in line, sitting at the doctor's office - and playing a virtual fight to the death video game. Online gaming has spread globally and anyone with a mobile and an internet connection can play. Violence and risky behavior tied to gaming, however, has led to controversy and in some instances, games being banned.

PUBG: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds may be the next target. Played by more than 400 million people worldwide, it's been tied to some violent episodes and already a district in the state of Gujarat in India imposed a ban on the game. In Kuwait, at least one stabbing has been linked to the game and rumors have circulated in recent days that it might be banned here soon.

PUBG is a multiplayer battle royale game in which up to 100 players parachute onto an island and scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill others, while avoiding getting killed themselves. The safe area of the game's map decreases in size over time, directing surviving players into tighter space to force encounters. The last player or team standing wins the round.

The pros and cons of gaming
Advocates and critics of online gaming are divided over there growing popularity. Some argue that there are positive aspects and others fear the influence of the normalization of excessive violence. Studies suggest that online games are good for the brain and body. Playing video games directly affects and impacts regions of the brain responsible for memory, spatial orientation, information organization and fine motor skills. Minecraft offers a number of educational benefits, like teaching kids how to use objects to explore environments and solve problems, while games like Civilization and Age of Empires teach problem solving and history on a more "global" level.

Donovan Ferrao, 26, believes the virtual world should be set apart from the actual world - both should never be mixed. "I have been playing DOTA and PUBG since they were first released. To me, these games are a means of relaxation after a long day at work. Speaking of violence, most games can be customized to be less gory. PUBG is just like paintball - if a game is being banned or under fire for being violent, then so should selling guns, be they toys or real."

Children and gaming violence
At the same time, younger children especially are often influenced negatively by video games. Gamer brain is becoming increasingly problematic in schools, where children act out scenes from violent mature video games, resulting in acts of sexualized and physical violence toward other students.

"We need to consider the fact that as the society has become less sensitized to violence on TV and in the world, it has also become less sensitized to violent games and the reactions players get mentally or emotionally from playing them," explains Psychologist Darlene Haddad. "On a positive note, gamers become good at developing better attention spans and require less cognitive activation to stay focused on demanding tasks," she said.

"However, the concern about violent video games is the link between increased aggression and decreased empathy. When it comes to violent games and how they affect the brain, it differs in the types of brain we are looking at. You have the male, female, teen, adult and people that are already suffering from some kind of mental issues. Players with these issues are more prone to aggressive and violent behaviors and playing these kinds of games will only enhance their aggression in the real world, many of whom end up committing violent crimes," she added.

May Al-Sharaa, 25, mother of a child, said it's a big no-no when it comes to violent online games. "I would never want my child to play such games. Most of these games glorify killing humans, which might encourage one to think that killing another person is very normal. Even with age restrictions, children somehow find a way around it. Parents should avoid giving a cellphone to kids before the age of 12. There is enough violence already in the world - we don't need any more of it through such games," she told Kuwait Times.

But it isn't all bad. For someone who has never played games that involve killing another player online, Haroon Khan, 20, chose Fortnite over PUBG. "Fortnite is very different from PUBG. The graphics are colorful and more animated and one needs to be very skillful to play this game. You need to build your own defenses and strategize in order to reach the end. Of course, one becomes aggressive while playing such games, but it's the same with all games, be it FIFA online or on the field. It is a phase - once the game is done, it's all gone," said Khan.

Normal teens' brains show also brain function changes associated with violent video games. In a study at the Radiological Society of North America, Indiana University School of Medicine researchers did MRI tests on teenagers' brains 30 minutes after playing violent video games and found the results showed increased activity in the region of the brain that governs emotional arousal, as well as decreased activity in the self-control area of the brain.

Games are not the root cause
Owner of Hydra Gaming Center in Kuwait, Mohammad Al-Harbi has played all of them from Final Fantasy to Counter Strike. He started his own gaming center in 2016 when the gaming scene was more thriving than today. "It is not fair to blame games for a person's behavior. The Mortal Kombat series is one of the most violent games I know of, and has never been blamed for a person's behavior. The reason PUBG has been making headlines is because it is easily accessible these days. There should be more restrictions and parental control to avoid children below a certain age to play these games rather than completely banning it. Many use video games to escape their stressful life at work or home and simply relax. For some it's a hobby and passion while in today's world it is also taken up as a profession."

However, the debate around whether normal functioning teens would display signs of aggression after playing violent games is still unclear. Recently, the American Psychological Association said these teens would only feel slightly more aggressive for only 30 minutes after playing violent games. When it comes to the adult brain, playing violent action adventure games for prolonged periods does not make adults more aggressive, say researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. However, adults can still become addicted to these games just like teens.

By Ramona Crasto