It seems that the addiction of the online multiplayer battle game PlayerUnknown's
Battlegrounds (PUBG) has taken a new level in the Iraqi society, after resulting
in several divorces between youth and firing employees from their jobs, which
led the authorities to take procedures to ease its effect.
In Anbar, west Iraq, the governmental council banned playing the game
during working hours, warning of dismissing employees violating the decision.
The official committee of issuing Fatwa (religious ruling) in Kurdistan’s
Sulaymaniyah prohibited the game, as it prevents Muslims from doing their jobs
and practicing the religious rituals.
Some wives reported asking divorce from their husbands, due to
their addiction to the battle game.
PUBG was developed and published by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary
of South Korean video game company Bluehole. The game is based on previous mods
using the film Battle Royale for inspiration.
In the game, up to one hundred players parachute onto an island
and scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill others while avoiding getting
killed themselves. The available safe area of the game's map decreases in size
over time, directing surviving players into tighter areas to force encounters.
The last player or team standing wins the round.
It first released for Microsoft Windows via Steam's early access
beta program in March 2017, and officially released in September 2018.
