What is Blue Whale Challenge ? The Online Game that Leads to the suicide of Indian Student in the US
Blue Whale Challenge is an online game that is also called suicide game as it compels the player playing it into committing suicide. It is a dangerous online game that encourages children and teenagers to complete a series of tasks over a period of 50 days, with the final task being to take their own life.
The game targets vulnerable individuals especially children who may be struggling with mental health issues or feelings of isolation. It targets its potential victims after seeing their Watsapp status or Facebook post. Anyone having a melancholic or sombre profile picture on their Watsapp is their potential victim. Such individuals need support, and the online game, under the guise of providing assistance, manipulates their emotions.” In India, there have been many cases of children and teenagers who have died by suicide after allegedly playing the Blue Whale Challenge. One of the most high-profile cases was the death of a 14-year-old boy in Mumbai in 2017, who reportedly jumped off the terrace of a building after completing the tasks in the game. A similar case was reported in the state of Kerala too around that time.
It is believed the 20-year-old Indian student from the University of Massachusetts was playing the “Blue Whale Challenge when he committed suicide in the month of March.
The Blue Whale Challenge is an online game that originated in Russia and is infamous for its sinister nature. It typically involves a series of tasks or dares assigned to players by a curator over 50 days.
The first tasks could include challenges such as “Wake up in the middle of the night” or “watch a scary film”. But gradually, they escalate to more dangerous and sinister ones, like “stand on the ledge of a tower block” or “cut a whale into your arm.” The final challenge ultimately ends in asking the user to kill themselves.
Participants are often forced into completing these tasks through threats, blackmail, or psychological manipulation. The game’s name is derived from the behaviour of blue whales, which are known to beach themselves intentionally, which often results in the death of the whale
