A new Twitter trend — #SavetheYouthbanFauG — calls for a ban on the game for the same reasons that led to FauG Users have alleged that the game can be addictive and violent, which were the original allegations made by many against PUBG Mobile. The game’s eventual ban in India was tied to national security concerns, after the military clash between India and China in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. FAUG, in fact, has a scenario that’s built around this clash.
Having said that, the issue seems to have started from an interview Vishal Gondal, one of the founders of FAUG, gave to Money control. In the interview, Gondal explained that the company makes money from in-app purchases (IAPs), by selling guns, swords, etc. within the game. This has been taken out of context, and has led users to allege that FAUG is promoting violence amongst Indian kids.
The exact reason for the trend is hard to pinpoint, but this could just be the gaming equivalent of throwing TVs from your balcony because they have Chinese components. Either way, like most troll-driven trends online, this might be a sign that the once anti-China wave is now going haywire, as India and China come closer to settlements at the border. And at the end of the day, if people are playing FAUG despite its graphics and gameplay experience, it’s unlikely that a Twitter trend will cause the game any troubles.
Real money games in India have faced a torrid time recently, with bans in certain states. These comes after incidents of people dying by suicide after they overspent on such apps and lost lots of money. The legality of such games is somewhat difficult to understand, since there’s no central law regulating some of them. Gondal has said in the past that such games put the entire gaming industry at risk.
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