- The Indian government is preparing to take steps to tackle the emerging concerns with gaming.
- Union Minister, Rajeev Chandrasekhar has announced that the government has established a framework for online gaming for the first time.
- Apps that involve betting, games that cause user harm, and games that involve addiction will be banned in the country.
The gaming community in India has seen a quick rise over the past few years. The boost in smartphone gaming has aided the growth in recent times. With this sudden rise, there are an equal number of problems associated with it as well, such as addiction, loss of money and others. With all this in mind, the Indian government is preparing to take steps to tackle the emerging concerns with gaming. Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology (IT), Rajeev Chandrasekhar has announced that the government has established a framework for online gaming for the first time.
Gaming regulations in India
Furthermore, the government has already drafted a blueprint for the new restrictions. The Union Minister has outlined that three sorts of games will be prohibited going forward. However, he did not specify the criteria that would be used to categorise games into one of these three sections. The three sorts of games include:
- Apps involve betting: Those games that involve or encourage betting and result in financial losses frequently and unethical practices.
- Games that cause user harm: This category may include games with violent or graphic themes that promote violence or have a harmful influence on players’ mental and emotional health.
- Games involve addiction: Games that cause excessive addiction and may result in loss of money, compromised physical health etc.
This move comes after the recent scandal, the Gaming Conversion Racket, which involves the primary accused, Shahnawaz Khan, and Abdul Rehman, a maulvi at a mosque in Ghaziabad. The two accused apparently would approach children in online gaming lobbies and persuade them to convert to a certain religion.
The minister further said that “For the first time we have prepared a framework regarding online gaming, in that we will not allow 3 types of games in the country. Games that involve betting or can be harmful to the user and that involves a factor of addiction will be banned in the country.”. Apple Store and Google Play Store are the two popular app stores and the latest news will have an influence on both.
Will BGMI get banned again?
BGMI made a comeback in India recently but with the recent statements from the Union Minister, there are concerns about the game, and others like Free Fire Max, New State Mobile, getting banned. However, BGMI got approval after complying with all regulations and is now restricting users with playtime limitations and online spending. The game was given a three-month trial period and a final decision will be taken soon. At the moment, it is unlikely it will get banned again.
