Online game PUBG (PlayerUnknown Battle-ground) has taken the world by storm and has spawned myriad situations and new highs in addiction.
Now take the recent case of this Ahmedabad woman, all of 19 and married with a year-old baby, who wants divorce from her husband, not because of any domestic feud or discord, but because of her immense indulgence in PUBG.
The case came to light when she called the 181 Abhayam women helpline seeking help to get divorce.
However, she did not mention this in the first place. She wanted to be lodged at a women’s observation home, away from her family and her parents, so that she could play at leisure with her gaming partner.
“The girl called 181 and told us that she wants to be at a women’s observation home as it is not working out with her husband nor she wanted to go to her parents’ home as they had taken away her cell phone,” says Falguni Patel, Coordinator at Abhayam.
“When we told her that she won’t be allowed to use her phone or to go out from observation home since it is supposed to be for the protection of women, she dropped the idea. Then she sought help to reach her friend, who she revealed much later during the counselling session, was her PUBG gaming partner whom she came into contact while playing the game,” Falguni Patel told IANS.
Her husband did not like her obsession with the game and refused to let her play, which caused tension between them and she decided to leave her husband and went to her parents.
Even they didn’t like her addiction and took away her mobile phone.
Patel said the counsellors explained to her not to take such crucial decisions in a rush, just for the sake of a game as her marriage of two years, as well as the life of her child, was at stake.