The Woke Taliban is Banning The First Person Shooter "PUBG" for Being Too Violent-- For Real

RAJAT GUPTA. Shutterstock Images.

The Taliban has announced that a much-discussed ban on PUBG: Battlegrounds—for "promoting violence" and "misleading youth"—will take effect in Afghanistan within three months, Khaama Press(opens in new tab) reports. The decision was announced following a recent meeting between Afghanistan's Ministry of Telecommunications, a Sharia law enforcement official, and security representatives.

PUBG has been a runaway success in Afghanistan. At the beginning of 2021, the game was swallowing up big chunks of the country's mobile internet traffic at peak times, when it was attracting somewhere in the vicinity of 100,000 Afghan players at once(opens in new tab). It's been a source of national moral panic for about the same length of time. Still, given its popularity, you can't help but wonder if some enterprising soul will give the game a makeover and a new version for the Afghan market, much like the "patriotic version" PUBG got in China(opens in new tab).

When I first saw this news, I gotta admit. I was a little taken aback. If I know anything about the Taliban, it's that they are not typically violence averse. They love that shit. Seek it out. Hell, in the last few weeks, there has been widespread violence in Afghanistan with different factions still going at each others' literal necks as they have for decades. They have protests and demonstrations about women being removed from schools and placed back under the supervision or the oppressive thumbs of their family members. That's not the issue though. It's fucking video games. Duh. Everyone knows the Taliban is only violent because of mobile apps. This news isnt exactly new, though. 

The Taliban actually ordered this PUBG ban(opens in new tab) back in April this year, but the details and timeline of its implementation have only just been worked out and announced. Afghan telecommunications companies and internet service providers have 90 days to put the ban into action. The ban is focused on PUBG's mobile version and will also affect TikTok, which companies will have one month to block. 

PUBG has been singled out for its violent content, but both apps are charged with "misleading the younger generation" and "wasting people's time". I guess I can't argue with that last one.

Anyway, with less time on TikTok and video games, maybe they'll have time for more helicopter crashing. That would be great!