Iraqis find escape, success on a virtual battleground

Iraqi Kurdish youths play the PUBG video game on their mobile phones in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. The mobile version of the game has become so popular in Iraq that the country’s youth have been dubbed the PUBG generation, as people across the country are spending hours every day on its virtual battleground, socialising via its live chat, playing competitively, or even falling in love. — AFP

BAGHAD: Bashar Abo Khalil’s PUBG character dashes around a wall in a pink dress and samurai helmet, thwacking an enemy with a frying pan – standard fare in the mobile game that is a mega-sensation in Iraq.

The online star, known as G2G, is one of many Iraqis hooked on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – a battle royale first-person shooter game that’s reminiscent of the book and film series The Hunger Games.