NGO Urges Indian Government To Prohibit Chinese Video Game Undawn
On Saturday, Prahar, a non-profit organization, announced that it has sent a letter to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) requesting the prohibition of Undawn, a game created by Chinese internet giant Tencent, in India.
Tencent released the online game through Level Infinite, its global publishing arm based in Singapore and Amsterdam, on June 15.
According to Prahar, the launch of Undawn on June 15, the anniversary of the Galwani incident, depicting Military uniforms and weapons used by Chinese soldiers, is “alleged and hurtful to the sentiments of Indians”.
“India needs to be wary of China’s soft influence, which has been used in recent years along with technological invasion and trade dominance. These things become relevant during any military incursions, as seen during the Galwani war,” said Abhay Mishra, national convenor and president of Prahar.
“Launching Undawn is an insult to India, our brave soldiers and our people. It hurts the sentiments of Indians,” he added.
Prahar’s letter to MeitY said that “Chinese company Tencent Games has launched a military-style game called Undawn in India.”
“The company has decided to launch this game on June 15, 2023, the anniversary of the Galwan incident where the Chinese Army attacked our Indian Army soldiers,” the letter read.
The game involves players wearing military style uniforms, armed with assault rifles and heavy weapons such as M416, AK 47, G36, MPX. Other weapons include stun bombs, decoy bombs, hand grenades and various bombs.
Undawn also features weapons used by Chinese forces to attack brave Indian soldiers.
One of the most prominent weapon categories in the game are melee weapons. This includes the infamous combined bristles with spikes and sharp edges that the Chinese used to hit our soldiers.
“We request you to take immediate steps to ban this game under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act as it poses a threat to India’s sovereignty and integrity, India’s defence, state security and public order,” the letter read.
The launch comes about three years after Tencent pulled all of its games and mobile apps from the country, including WeChat.
The government banned the apps in June 2020 citing national security amid border tensions between India and China.
Since then, India has suspended over 300 mobile apps.
