The crackle of gunfire. A gasp of a stranger. Explosions rumbling in the distance. In the Afghan capital of Kabul, such sounds would normally prompt panic, but they are coming from the tinny speaker of a mobile phone clutched by a young man, hunched over and absorbed in the bloody shoot-’em-up video game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or PUBG.
“In this country, we are living, but we are not alive,” said gamer Abdul Musawir Raufi, after peeling his gaze away from the phone screen, where his avatar duels with other players in an online arena.
“We don’t know what will happen from one moment to the next. It’s the only way to pass the time,” the 23-year-old said.
Photo: AFP
Afghanistan has been wracked by four decades of very real conflict, now largely subsided since the withdrawal of US-led troops and the return of the Taliban last year.
However, in a striking irony, youngsters say the wildly popular virtual violence simulator offers respite from the turmoil of the transition and the strictures of the hard-line Islamist regime, as well as a rare channel of communication with the outside world.
Meanwhile, the Taliban, who spent the past 20 years waging their own vicious and bloody insurgency, are currently working to cut off access to PUBG, having deemed it a corrupting influence.
Since storming back to power in August, the Taliban have not curtailed entertainment as harshly as they did during their previous stint in power between 1996 and 2001, when TV, cinema, photography and kite flying were all banned.
In the capital, a few arcades and bowling alleys remain open and some sports are still being played, but music has been banned alongside female-fronted or foreign television series.
Many Kabul residents are wary of the Taliban fighters who patrol the streets and man checkpoints, and prefer to stay at home rather than risk an outing for entertainment.
Raufi was once a keen soccer player, but most of the friends he played with fled the country during the chaotic mass evacuation in the final days of the international withdrawal.
“The fun we used to have, the laughing with friends... it’s all over,” he said.
PUBG, published by Chinese digital giant Tencent and downloaded on smartphones more than 1 billion times globally, has allowed him to stay in touch with friends and make new connections with foreign players online.
“It allows us to learn about the culture of other countries and their language. The bonds I’ve created are very strong,” he said.
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