Iraq has become the first country in the world to officially ban Epic Games’ Fortnite.
The Iraq parliament has voted to ban both Fortnite and fellow battle royale game, PUBG “due to the negative effects caused by some electronic games on the health, culture, and security of Iraqi society, including societal and moral threats to children and youth.” [via GamesIndustry].
Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the leader of an Iraqi political alliance, said PUBG in particular it is addictive serves no purpose in life.
“What will you gain if you killed one or two people in PUBG? It is not a game for intelligence or a military game that provides you with the correct way to fight,” he announced.
The news comes after Nepal officially outlawed PUBG in its country.
Internet service providers were issued a warning from Nepal’s telecommunication authority earlier this week, and were told to block PUBG.
The instructions came from the Kathmandu district court.
Senior police official, Dhiraj Pratap Singh, told AFP [via Daily Mail]: “We sought an order from the court to ban PUBG after floods of complaints from parents, guardians and school organisations to block the game citing psychological impact on teenagers and students.”
This follows the death of a 16-year-old in India, who died by suicide after being told by his parents to stop playing PUBG in favour of his studies.
It’s not the first time that PUBG has been blamed for such heartbreaking news in India. Earlier this year, two men in their 20s lost their lives when absorbed in the mobile version of PUBG too close to railway tracks.
Some parts of India (more specifically, a number of cities in the state of Gujarat) have already banned PUBG after concerns of it encouraging violent behaviour and distractions from schooling.
Two dozen young people have since been arrested for violating the ban and playing the game.
Featured Image Credit: Epic Games