PUBG Game Relaunched As Battlegrounds Mobile India, Parental Consent For Minors Needed

The popular PUBG Mobile Game has been relaunched as Battlegrounds Mobile India for the Indian gamers after a one-year ban by the Government of India. The relaunch comes with a rider -players under the age of 18 will need permission from their guardians/parents to play Battlegrounds Mobile India, according to the company's privacy policy, which can be found on the new website.

The parent company, Krafton, has revealed that a new mobile game with a battle royale experience will be released soon for players in India who have been eagerly waiting for the relaunch of PUBG Mobile. However, there will be noticeable improvements to Battlegrounds Mobile India, which are largely the result of last year's ban.

In the privacy policy document, Krafton states that minors (those under the age of 18) must include the phone number of their parents or guardians, who will be contacted later to check the registration.

People under the age of 18 will be considered eligible for the game once their parents have given their permission.

There are many flaws in this method, the most serious of which is the lack of a reliable mechanism for verifying the contact information these players are likely to provide. Since most minors have their phone numbers, it would be very convenient for them to abuse this law. To get permission, they can easily trick the system by entering their phone number instead of their parents'.

Right now, there's a lot of uncertainty about how this verification approach will operate. A one-time password, which is the most widely used two-factor authentication tool on the internet, is the simplest way to do so.

If this is the case, children do not even need to deceive the system. Children also have access to their parents' or guardians' smartphones at home, and reading an OTP would be a breeze for them.

There's also the chance of a call centre handling the Battlegrounds Mobile India verification operation. At this time, Krafton hasn't said much about how this new privacy policy will work, so we'll have to wait for more details.

Furthermore, Battlegrounds Mobile India will have a gaming cap, as announced by Krafton last year for the then-called PUBG Mobile India. The cap ensures that a single player under the age of 18 will not be allowed to play the game for more than three hours per day.

This is a step in the right direction, and while some may object, the gaming restrictions will please critics who have long lamented the negative effects of excessive gaming. Indeed, it was one of the factors that persuaded the government to prohibit PUBG Mobile last year.

In Battlegrounds Mobile India, Krafton has also set restrictions on in-app purchases. Minors will be able to spend up to Rs 7,000 on in-app purchases after obtaining permission from their parents to play the game. The latest feature that limits in-app purchases could help children spend less recklessly without their parents' permission.

There have been instances in the past where minors purchased exclusive products in PUBG Mobile for more than Rs 1 lakh. However, Krafton has remained tight-lipped about how and when this function will be usable.