I’ve never liked first-person shooters — not from a “too much killing” standpoint (crap, what does that say about me?!), but from a standpoint of just not finding them to be much fun.

However, a couple years ago when Tom started playing PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) I started watching him play and discovered it was really compelling. For those who aren’t gamers, the “plot” in a nutshell is that you and 99 others are parachuted onto a deserted island (lots of empty buildings — no other people) where you have to scavenge weapons and be the last person alive. All the while an “electric fence” is slowly pushing everyone toward one point, so you can’t just sit and hide somewhere.

Did you read “Hunger Games” or watch the movie? It’s that type of game.

What makes it different (to me) than a typical shooter is the strategy aspect. While you need to have decent reflexes in a firefight, there are many ways to avoid fights until there isn’t any other choice. And while scavenging weapons you can choose from guns that are better for close-in fighting like a shotgun or a sniper rifle with a scope that allows you to pick people off from a distance. (Okay, reading that back that now I sound like a bloodthirsty violent person. I’m not. I’M NOT!!! TAKE IT BACK!!!)

So while I liked watching PUBG, as a Mac user I didn’t have a good way to play it, and when Tom moved to Vegas I couldn’t even watch it. But a couple weeks ago the publisher released a version for iOS (iPhones and iPads). While nobody thought PUBG would be worth playing on a mobile device, we were wrong.

Yes, it’s different than the PC version, you automatically pick up some items you find, for example, but the general experience is the same. The suspense when sneaking up on someone, the excitement trading fire with others while ducking behind a nearby rock or tree.

There’s some discussion about more ‘bots than real people being used in the lower levels (10 and under) to give new players a taste of success, and that’s probably why I’ve been able to get into the Top 10 several times during my first dozen games — but it also just might be my innate gaming ability (ahem). I’m now a Level 13 so games should be getting harder if the ‘bot supposition is true, but I’m hoping my “training” has been enough that I’ll still feel like I have a chance for a Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.

I’m playing PUBG on an iPad Pro and it’s set for high-res graphics and plays without any problems. I also played one game on my iPhone 7+ and it worked well, but the screen is a little too cramped for me. From what I hear it plays well on a regular iPad and even works on Android (but who cares about that).

I know PUBG Mobile isn’t the kind of game that will appeal to everyone, but if you’re a (sometimes) hardcore gamer and want to try the latest cool new thing, PUBG is it.

Free to play, some micro-transactions that aren’t required.
PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds Mobile for iOS