Indonesian Regent Asks Minister to Ban Online Games Like PUBGM, Free Fire, and Mobile Legends

The Regent of Mukomuko Bengkulu Province, Sapuan has formally requested the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) to ban online games, including Mobile Legends, PUBG Mobile, and Free Fire. Bustari Maller, the Head of the Mukomuko Regency Communications and Informatics Office, released an official statement on the matter stating that Sapuan asked for this blocking to be applied nationally (across Indonesia) or exclusively in Mukomuko.

Indonesian Regent Asks Government to Ban Online Games

The Regent of Mukomuko Bengkulu Province, Sapuan is reported to have formally requested the Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) to ban online games, including Mobile Legends, PUBG Mobile, and Free Fire and Higgs Domino.

"The Regent has submitted an application letter to ask the Minister of Communications and Informatics through the Directorate General of Information at the Ministry of Communications and Informatics to block 'online games' in the Mukomuko Regency area," said Bustari, according to Dunia Games.

Mukomuko's children are adversely affected by video games in terms of development, health, and academic performance, according to Sapuan. "They, the children, have become addicted to online games. So, this situation calls for serious concern from the government," Bustari added.

According to Bustari, gaming addiction can be detrimental to one's health, causing such problems as visual impairment, obesity, and De Quervain Syndrome (inflammation of tendon sheaths that control movement of the thumb). In addition, he explained that parents do not have enough power to prevent children from becoming addicted to gaming. As a result, he stated that online games should be prohibited either nationally or regionally.

It’s undeniable that online games have made a huge impact worldwide, especially mobile games such as PUBGM, Free Fire, and Mobile Legends. Indonesia is currently one of the biggest countries in the esports ecosystem, with organizations such as EVOS Esports, Bigetron Esports, RRQ, and many more, dominating the scene.

It will be interesting to see how this move impacts the esports scene within the country, going forward.